Pull of the Moon
by S.Knoxville
Summary: Thanks to missuspadfootnmoony for the title. This is the story of a werewolf who meets Lupin during her 7th year at Hogwarts and her whole world is changed once she realizes what he is and befriends the infamous Harry Potter. Rated M to be safe. PoA era
1. Chapter 1

I'd just like to say that I do not own anything in this story except for the character I have created. The genius of Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. Also, this is my first fanfic, so…forgive me if its, um…a little slow. Please review

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Meredith was sitting inside an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express reading, waiting for the train to leave. She looked out the window, watching students say goodbye to their parents and younger siblings. She sighed, wishing for almost half a second that she had a family to say good bye to. But she had lost her family long ago. Meredith was dwelling on these thoughts when a familiar face barged into the compartment.

"Meredith!" Oliver shouted, jumping on the seat next to her and wrapping his arms around her in a hug. He grinned, kissing her cheek. "How was your holiday?"

Meredith giggled, kissing him back. "It was great, I spent it in Australia with my aunt and uncle...on the beach everyday, going scuba-diving...it was awesome. How was yours?"

Oliver shrugged, "It was pretty good. I worked with the Quidditch league and helped organize this years World Cup," he said modestly.

"Oh, my god! That's amazing, Oliver! It must have been fascinating, I wish I could have been there to see it." Meredith grinned.

"Did you get the birthday present I sent you?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, the Broomstick Servicing Kit! That was the best present, Oliver, thank you so much," she said, grinning. Meredith pulled out the newspaper, opening it up to the article about Sirius Black. "How about this Sirius Black, eh?"

"I know, I heard that Dumbledore is going to have dementors help guard the castle this year," Oliver said grimly.

Meredith's eyes widened in disbelief. "Dumbledore...wouldn't actually agree to have dementors on Hogwarts ground...would he?"

"I couldn't believe it at first either," Oliver said. "But everyone's really terrified about it, though...Sirius Black is a dangerous bloke."

"Yeah I heard," Meredith nodded, "He killed what, like...thirteen people?"

"With one curse," Oliver nodded, yawning.

"I'm pretty tired, I think I'm going to take a cue from your yawn and sleep for a while," Meredith said, rolling her sweater up into a pillow and laying down across the seat.

Oliver smirked, "That's a good idea," he nodded, rolling up his jacket as well and laying on the opposite seat.

They woke up about an hour later when the train jerked to a halt. Meredith screamed, nearly falling off of the chair. "What's going on?" She sat up, and almost instantly everything went cold. The worst memories of her past came back with a vengeance, as if it was the only thing she'd ever think about for the rest of her life. The attack on her family was replayed in her mind with extraordinary vividness, and she felt herself phasing in and out of consciousness until finally, everything went dark. She woke up moments later, and felt as if the whole atmosphere of the compartment had changed.

"What in the bloody hell was that?" Oliver said, his voice about three octaves higher than normal. He noticed Meredith shaking and instantly wrapped his arms around her protectively.

"A dementor," said a new voice coming from the hallway of the train. "It was a dementor, one of the Azkaban guards" he replied. A tall, disheveled man in shabby robes came into the compartment.

"Why were there dementors on the train?" Meredith asked, "And forgive me for being blunt, but who are you?" Meredith looked at him, puzzled.

"The dementors were doing a search, looking for Sirius Black," the man said. "And I am Professor Lupin, I'm taking over as the Defense Against the Dark Arts position this year."

Meredith sat up, wriggling out of Oliver's grip on her waist, "I'm Meredith Douglas, and this is Oliver Wood. It's nice to meet you, Professor." She smiled warmly at Professor Lupin. Something about this man intrigued her, like there was something between them that they shared.

Lupin nodded politely at Oliver, then looked at Meredith. When their eyes met, it was as if he couldn't look away; there was something fierce in her eyes, something untame, and it completely captivated him. He shook his head slightly, regaining his composure. "It's nice to meet you as well," he said. "I just came by to um, see if everything was OK here...I heard someone scream?"

"Oh, yeah, that was me," Meredith said, slightly embarrassed. "I was just startled, the jerk of the train woke me up. We're both fine." She put her hand over Oliver's, squeezing it gently.

"All right then...well, you should eat some of this chocolate, anyway. It'll help," he said, handing Meredith a large piece of chocolate. "Share it with your friend here, it seems like he needs it as well." And with that, Lupin left the train compartment.

Meredith broke the chocolate in half, handing a piece to Oliver. "Are you OK, Oliver?" She sat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

Oliver nodded, taking the chocolate in his hand. "I'll be all right. It was just...it scared me, honestly."

"I know, it was terrifying. I felt like...like I would never be happy again, you know?" Meredith said, eating some of the chocolate.

"No kidding," Oliver said. He ate the rest of the chocolate, then laid his head in her lap. He sighed, "Aren't we going to be there soon?" He asked, running his thumb along her leg.

Meredith looked out the window as well, "Yeah, I suppose we are," she said, standing up and grabbing her robes from her trunk to put them on.

That evening at the Sorting Ceremony the Great Hall was abuzz with talk of the dementors on the train. "_Harry Potter fainted!" _was one thing that was repeated to nearly every student in the Hall.

"I don't blame him at all, honestly," Meredith said, "I mean, I fainted. I did. Those dementors are terrifying things. I don't see why it's such a big deal. I mean if you went through what he did you'd probably faint too."

Oliver nodded, "I know, that's what I'm saying," he said, biting into his baked potato.

Meredith looked down at the table at Harry and waved at him encouragingly, smiling. She looked back at Oliver, "Harry's a good kid. What about this Lupin, though, he seems a bit...odd? Not that I'm saying anything bad, he seems like a brilliant guy. I heard about what he did in Potter's compartment. With the Patronus."

"Yeah," Oliver said offhandedly, shrugging, "Brilliant."

Later that evening Meredith caught up with Harry in the common room. She smiled at him, sitting down on the arm of the chair he was sitting in. "Hey, Harry. How are you doing?"

Harry smiled at her, "I'm all right, better than earlier," he said.

Meredith smiled, "Me too. I can't believe all this Sirius Black stuff. And the fiasco with the dementors on the train," Meredith shuddered. "You're not the only one who fainted." She put an arm around his shoulder comfortingly.

"Really? You fainted, too?" He looked up at her, eyes suddenly hopeful.

"Yeah, actually, I did. I swore Oliver to secrecy, so, it didn't get out. But I did," she said. Meredith smiled at him, "I can't wait for Quidditch to start, since it's my final year and all. I hope we win, Oliver's really determined to get it this year."

"When was he NOT determined to win?" Harry smiled.

Meredith chuckled, "You have a point." She smiled, yawning. "I'm going to bed, I'll see you around Harry. And, um, if you ever needed a hand with your homework, or something, or needed to talk...I'm around," Meredith walked up the stairs to her room and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

Again, I'd just like to say the following:  
I do NOT in any way claim any ownership of the Harry Potter series, except for my character that I have created. JK Rowling is the soul person responsible for the genius that is Harry Potter. Thanks.

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The next day she met Oliver down at the Great Hall for breakfast. "Good morning, beautiful," Oliver said, kissing her on the cheek.

Meredith grinned, taking a piece of toast off of his plate. "Good morning," she said. McGonagall came by moments later, handing out schedules.

Oliver grabbed his, looking it over. "Ugh, NEWTs this year," he said.

"Tell me about it." Meredith looked at her schedule as well; she was taking all the classes necessary to become an Auror; Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology, etc. "Hey, we have Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions together," she said, smiling.

Oliver nodded absentmindedly, looking over the both of the schedules. "Looks like it," he said, biting into his toast.

That afternoon they found out exactly what Lupin was like. They had an amazing practical lesson regarding advanced Defense spells and non-verbal spells; Meredith hit Oliver with an excellent non-verbal petrifying spell, causing him to crash into a table.

At the end of the day Meredith was laying on the couch in the common room reading her Defense book, going over the spells they talked about in class.

"Hey my beautiful, clever girlfriend, how was your day?" Oliver said, sitting down on the couch next to her.

Meredith smiled, kissing Oliver softly. "Great, now that you're here." She said, putting her book down. "Lupin is brilliant, isn't he?"

Oliver shrugged, "I guess he's all right. He seems unconventional, though."

Meredith sat up, looking at him incredulously, "Oh, come on. Like **any** of our teachers are conventional."

Oliver nodded, smirking. "You have a point. But, I don't know. Something about him seems...off. I don't know how to explain it but it's just, some kind of weird feeling I get. "

"You're being crazy," Meredith said. She picked her book back up and flipped to the page she had been reading.

Oliver chuckled, getting up off of the couch. "I'll leave you to your work, then. I know better than to bother you," he said. "Oh, Quidditch practice starts next week, by the way. Monday at Seven."

Meredith nodded, but she didn't hear what he said. Once she was focused on reading there was no way someone could capture her attention until she was finished.

Later that evening an owl landed in Meredith's lap carrying a note addressed to her. After seven years of receiving these notes she recognized the hand writing; it was a note from Dumbledore. She opened it and read:

_Meredith Douglas,_

_Welcome to your 7th Year at Hogwarts. _

_As soon as you get this I would like you to come up to my office, _

_Professor Snape and I are waiting to discuss the administering of your Wolfsbane potion. _

_Warmest regards, _

_Headmaster Albus Dumbledore_

Meredith sighed, putting her book up in her room and going to Dumbledore's office. She liked talking to Dumbledore, but Professor Snape always made her feel uncomfortable; with his general distaste for Gryffindors, not to mention she felt like he was mocking her for being a werewolf.

"Come in, Meredith," Dumbledore's pleasant voice came through the door before she even had time to knock.

Meredith opened the door and smiled, seeing Dumbledore and Snape. "It's good to see you, Sir. You too, Professor," she nodded at Snape, her smile full of sincerity.

Dumbledore smiled, but Meredith enjoyed the uncomfortable nod that came from Professor Snape. She discovered that being nice and polite to him was the best way to get under his skin, because he was always unkind to other people and they were always unkind to him; it was a nice little flip that threw his world out of whack and she loved pressing his buttons. "Hello, Meredith, I trust your holiday was well?"

Meredith nodded, "It was, Sir. I went to Australia and spent it with my aunt and uncle that live there." She said, smiling. "Now, what is it that we need to discuss about the potion?"

"Since it is your final year at Hogwarts, I am concerned about what you will do after you leave this school, since you do not know how to make this particular potion yourself," Dumbledore said.

"Oh," Meredith said, staring down at her hands. "I'm going to have to become a full-grown werewolf every full moon, then?" Her eyes glistened with tears, "I mean, it's not like I can buy wolfsbane potion at Diagon Alley, right?"

Dumbledore chuckled good-naturedly, smiling. "No, I daresay that you cannot buy wolfsbane anywhere, but it is not my intention to send you into the world destined to become a full-grown werewolf once a month."

"What are we going to do, then, Sir?" Meredith asked, puzzled.

"Well, wolfsbane is a desperately tricky potion to make, but given your skills as a potion-maker, Professor Snape and I have concluded that he will, within the year, be able to teach you to make wolfsbane on your own," Dumbledore said.

Meredith's jaw dropped; she was utterly shocked. "B-by myself, sir? But, that potion is extremely hard to make. I don't think..."

"Professor Snape and I believe that you are more than capable of mastering the art of this potion," Dumbledore said firmly, but he still held the gentle air in his voice. "Your lessons will be once a week, on a day and time that you and Professor Snape can agree on."

"Well, I'll have to talk to Oliver about Quidditch practices and see when those will be, but after that I can talk to Professor Snape directly and we can discuss our meeting times," she said, smiling graciously at Professor Snape.

Snape nodded, "That would be fine," he said curtly.

Dumbledore smiled, "Well, that is all we needed to discuss. It's getting late, Meredith, you should head back to your house now."

"Of course, Sir. It was wonderful to see you, as always," Meredith got up and walked out the door, smiling at the both of them as she left.

She strolled casually through the castle, enjoying the silence of the empty corridors. Meredith stopped when she reached Lupin's office, and decided to stop in and say hello, just to be friendly. "Hello, Professor," she said, smiling.

Lupin looked up from the papers he was looking through and smiled, although he looked slightly confused. "Miss Douglas, how can I help you?"

Meredith smiled, "I just wanted to say that today's lesson was fantastic. I really learned a lot."

Lupin smiled, "Thank you for saying that, Miss Douglas."

"Please, call me Meredith; all the other teachers do. 'Miss Douglas' makes me feel like an old spinster." She said, leaning on the doorframe.

Lupin chuckled, nodding. "Meredith it is, then." He said.

Meredith smiled, "Well, I just wanted to stop by and tell you that I enjoyed the lesson. I'll see you Wednesday," she said, turning to leave.

"Wait," he said, holding a hand out to stop her. "I was just about to have a cup of tea, would you care to join me?"

Meredith bit her lip, severly tempted. "It's getting late, it's almost curfew."

"Oh I could walk you back to your dorm, Filch wouldn't mind too much, it is the first day back, after all." Lupin said.

Meredith smiled, "all right, then, a quick cup wouldn't hurt." She sat down in the chair on the other side of his desk.

Lupin grabbed two cups and poured hot water into both of them. "I only have tea bags, I'm afraid," he said.

"That's fine. After taking Professor Trelawney's class tea leaves are kind of ruined for me," Meredith said.

Lupin chuckled, putting the tea bags in each of the cups. "Her class ruins tea leaves for a lot of people," he said. "I've always preferred tea bags anyway, though."

Meredith smiled, "So have I, actually. My...My aunt always made fun of me for it, said I wasn't a 'true Brit' if I didn't like tea leaves. But it's like I'd always tell her...I was born in Scotland, we never drank tea when I lived there."

"Scotland? Nice country," Lupin said, "But, if you don't mind me asking, why did you leave?"

"Oh, Umm..." Meredith bit her lip, taken off-guard by the fact that he had asked; teachers never usually tried to get to know her like that before. "M-my family...my family was killed when I was ten...I moved to London shortly after to live with my cousins."

"Oh, I'm...I'm sorry, that's terrible." Lupin said, suddenly feeling bad.

Meredith shook her head, "No need to be sorry. It was a long time ago, there was no way you could have known." She drank some of her tea.

"So, this is your seventh year at Hogwarts? What do you intend to do after you leave the school?" Lupin asked, drinking his tea.

"Well, I was actually thinking about becoming an Auror. I'm taking all of the required classes, and I'm planning on trying to join them after I leave," she said.

"An auror? A dangerous career choice, but fulfilling. I daresay we'll need as much as we can in the next few years," he said ominously.

"What? You think...You-Know-Who is coming back or something?" Meredith said.

"He may be, you never know," Lupin said, finishing the rest of his tea. He noticed that Meredith had finished hers as well, and stood up. "Well, I should get you back to your dorms, it is quite late."

Meredith nodded, getting up as well. "It is," she said, looking up at the clock. They walked to the Fat Lady's portrait and parted ways. "Thank you for the tea, Professor," she said, waving as she walked into the common room. Meredith stayed up well into the night working on homework.


	3. Chapter 3

Meredith barely survived the rest of the week; the amount of homework and extra assignments they were getting already was overwhelming. The teachers constantly talking about NEWTs and how important they were, it was already stressing her out. She was laying on her favorite couch in the common room with Oliver, when she remembered something. "Hey, when are we doing Quidditch practices during the week?" She asked, sitting up.

"Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays," Oliver said, "Why?"

Meredith leaned closer to him; there were quite a few people in the common room at that moment, and she didn't want them overhearing. "Well, since it's my last year here at Hogwarts, Dumbledore wants me to learn how to make the Wolfsbane potion on my own."

"He's going to teach you?" Oliver said, raising an eyebrow, "But I thought it was really hard to make."

"Yeah, it's nearly impossible to make, only really talented potion makers even attempt it," Meredith said. "And, no, Dumbledore is not going to teach me. Professor Snape is. He needs to know what days I'm available so we can schedule a time for lessons."

"Oh, extra lessons with Snape, that ought to be fun," Oliver said sarcastically.

"I know, right? It's going to be a party," she said with equal sarcasm. "I have to go to the Owlery to send the lovely Professor a note telling him when I'll be free...care to join me?"

Oliver got up, smiling. "Of course. Maybe we can take a detour into the Room of Requirement afterwards?" He said coyly, putting an arm around her waist.

Meredith sighed, "Oliver, you know I can't do that," She said. They walked to the Owlery together, hand in hand. Once there, Meredith summoned her owl, Hamlet, and quickly wrote a note to Snape. It read:

_Dear Professor Snape,_

_I have just spoken to Oliver, and it looks like I'll be free at anytime on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you wanted to meet on a Saturday or Sunday that would be fine too. Let me know. _

_-Meredith Douglas_

She attached the note to her owls leg and sent him off. "Oliver, I'm sorry, but you know I can't do those kinds of things with you. If my emotions got too out of control I just...I can't risk it. And if I were to get pregnant...I couldn't give birth to a child knowing what it was going to be."

Oliver sighed, "I'm not saying that we have to have sex, Mere. It's just...we haven't made out or anything since we've been back and, I missed you." He said.

Meredith shook her head, "That's not all a relationship is about, Oliver. You knew that the second you asked me out." She sighed, "I have homework to do, Oliver. I'll see you later," she said as she walked over to her bookbag to take out her Charms book to look over some spells.

Oliver sighed again, walking up to his dorm room to study by himself. The physical part of their relationship was always a problem for them; Meredith didn't want to do much because she was afraid it would lead to sex and sex leads to kids, and Oliver thought that she worried too much about it and that he would always were protection.

About two hours later, an owl landed in Meredith's lap, carrying a note from Professor Snape. It read:

_Miss Douglas, _

_Due to the complexity of this particular potion, I believe it would be prudent to meet twice a week, perhaps more depending on how proficient you are at picking up on the complexities of this potion. Given your past classroom experience I say twice a week will most likely be enough time for you to master the potion by the end of the year. _

_Be at my office no later than 7 o'clock on Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting next week. _

_-Professor Snape_

"Well, I suppose that this was only mildly insulting," she said to herself as she scribbled the reply on a piece of parchment. _See you on Tuesday. _Once she was finished, she attached the note onto the same owl and sent it away.

Meredith was about to go back to work when Fred and George rushed down the stairs from the boys dormitory, throwing exploding snaps at each other and making a load of noise. "Can't you guys go do that someplace else?" She said, rubbing her temples.

"You could also go study in the library, you know," Fred said, "I mean, this is the common room, we have every right to be here, just as you do."

Meredith rolled her eyes, collecting her books and heading up the stairs to her dorm room to drop off her books; then she walked up to the boys dormitory to find Oliver.

He was laying in his bed, reading, when she snuck up to his bed and jumped on it violently, nearly bouncing him to the floor.

"What the--oh, hi Meredith," he smiled, kissing her on the cheek.

"Hey, Oliver. Check out this note I just got from Snape. It's not up to his usual standards of passive-aggressive insults, I wonder what's going on with him?" She said with a tone of mock sincerity.

Oliver read over the note, laughing. "I know, maybe his girlfriend dumped him," he said.

Meredith scoffed, "What girlfriend? Oh you mean that troll? They didn't work out, she said that he didn't take enough baths, or something. He stunk too bad, and his hair was way too greasy."

Oliver laughed out loud, slapping his hand on his knee. "Too...greasy...oh, god, Meredith, that...was..hilarious," he said between bouts of laughter.

Meredith just sat there, waiting for him to calm down. She didn't really think what she said was all that funny; it didn't warrant hysterics, at least. "Are you OK, now?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh come on, that was funny!" He said, grinning. Oliver put his hand on her knee, but she pushed it away with her hand. "What IS it with you lately?"

"Nothing, Oliver, nothing," Meredith said, slightly distracted. "I just...I haven't really been sleeping much since the...dementor thing, you know."

Oliver sat up, wrapping his arms around her. "What do you see? With the dementors, I mean? What is it that they force you to think about?"

Meredith swallowed the lump that had risen in her throat, "I...think about my parents, and my family. Being killed." She bit her lip, digging her fingernails into the palms of her hands.

"What happened to them?" Oliver asked.

"Well, our cows were being killed in the middle of the night, so my dad had put up a fence to stop them. But whatever was killing them kept getting passed it. Then one night my dad decided that he was going to, uh, keep watch and kill whatever it was that was eating our cows," she paused, taking a deep breath. "I woke up to the sounds of him screaming and being...ripped apart. My mother ran outside with her wand and, well...at least her death was quick. I was...too terrified to leave my bed. But...I guess he already knew I was there. He...came into my room and..." Meredith's hand reached up to her shoulder, right above her heart, where he had bitten her. "Attacked me. I...I don't know how I survived, but I did." She wiped a tear away from her face, sighing heavily, trying to stave off the rush of emotions that threatened to unfold.

Oliver wrapped his arms around her tighter, as if trying to protect her from herself. He put his chin on her shoulder, not really knowing what to say; so he just held her and they fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Meredith walked into the Great Hall and poured herself a cup of orange juice, grumbling. "I can't believe it's already Monday. I spent the **entire** weekend doing homework, and I'm not even done! I haven't even started that Potions essay...I wish Snape would just throw himself off of the Astronomy tower and save me from all this work!" She polished off most of her orange juice in one drink.

Oliver chuckled, putting down his own glass. "Someone's in a chipper mood today," he said, putting his hand over hers. "It's just the first week, you'll get into a steady groove...things will be fine."

"Oh, don't patronize me, Oliver." Meredith snapped, grabbing a piece of toast. "I have to go talk to Professor Flitwick about last weeks lesson, excuse me," she stood up abruptly and walked out of the Great Hall as quickly as she entered it, leaving Oliver dumbfounded, mouth hanging open over his toast.

Meredith spent the rest of the day avoiding Oliver; she didn't know why, but he was really starting to get on her nerves. After the summer break it was as if they grew apart. Meredith knew that Oliver loved her, but she also knew that there could be no future with him, that she could never give him what he truly wanted; they could never have a family. Ever since Meredith was old enough to understand her condition, she knew that there was no way she would ever bring a child into the world that was like her. In spite of all of the early warnings Meredith gave Oliver about their relationship, he insisted that he didn't care, none of that mattered to him, but lately, it seemed that it was all he could talk about. Constant promises of protection, and doubtfulness that she would even get pregnant; he had tried every line in the book to try and get her to sleep with him, and she sensed he was getting tired of waiting around. She knew that the relationship would have to end; the only question was who would end it.

At precisely 6:45, Meredith marched down to the Quidditch field with Fred and George, who were always good company. They spent the entire walk laughing and telling jokes; it took her mind off of the situation with Oliver wonderfully.

After a deeply impassioned speech from Oliver citing the obvious fact that it was his last year to get the cup, the whole team was feeling a surge of furious pride and determination. Even Meredith was feeling incredibly motivated by Oliver's speech which was new for her, since by the time practice came around she usually already heard it about twelve times. The whole team rocketed into the air for their first practice.

Meredith wasn't playing up to her usual potential; her mind was on other things and therefore her concentration on Quidditch had dropped off. She kept dropping catches, missing throws and goals, and even nearly knocked one of her teammates off of their brooms.

By the end of practice the grounds were shrouded in darkness, but Meredith took her time walking back to the castle.

"Meredith! Oy, Meredith!" Fred was running to catch up with her from the team room, carrying his broom in his hand.

Meredith turned around, slightly startled, "Hey, I didn't see that you were still in there, I would have waited." She smiled at him. "You were dynamite in practice, today, by the way."

Fred smiled sheepishly, "Thanks, Meredith. You were great, too. You did some great goal-scoring, we're going to beat Slytherin into the ground." He smiled again.

"What practice were you participating in? I was terrible, plain and simple, I was just plain bad," Meredith said, shrugging.

"Oh nonsense, Mere, you were on fire," Fred insisted, putting an arm around her shoulder.

Meredith smiled, putting her arm around his waist. "I um...can I talk to you for a second, seriously?" She stopped, staring up at him.

Fred stared back at her, nodding. "Of course you can," he said.

"I...I think Oliver is going to break up with me," Meredith said, avoiding his eyes. "We've been...fighting for a while, and it hasn't gotten any better."

"Oh, Meredith, you're being ridiculous. Oliver wouldn't break up with you. He's crazy about you, you know that, right?" Fred smiled, brushing a stray hair away from her face.

Meredith smiled slightly, "I know but...it's just...it's complicated. I don't think he and I are going to last very long...at the rate we're going."

"What do you mean? Why are you fighting?" He asked.

"Oh it's...just something between us. I don't really feel comfortable sharing it but, honestly...I don't know what I'll do if he breaks up with me. I know that sounds cheesy but...it's true. I mean, if he breaks up with me it's not like I can ever play Quidditch, not with him as Captain." Meredith said, sighing. Tears started flowing down her face as she buried herself in his shoulder.

Fred put his arms around her, rubbing her back soothingly. "Meredith, I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. Just talk to him, it'll be fine."

Meredith sighed, pulling away from him and started walking back to the castle. "You're right, I'm probably just freaking out over nothing," she said, smiling. She had her arm around his waist, carrying her spare clothes in her other hand. "Thanks for listening, Fred," she said once they got into the common room. She then proceeded to walk up to her dorm, falling asleep the second her head hit the pillow.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey guys, thanks for reading! I was afraid people would hate it, since this is my first work of fanfiction I was a little nervous.

Anyway I'd just like to reiterate that I do NOT claim ownership to anything in the story except for my character, Meredith. Everything else belongs to the genius mind of J.K. Rowling :)

And I'm still stuck on a title so if you have an idea send me a message, I'd like to hear it! All right, well, I'm going to stop with the Author's Note, enjoy this chapter of my fanfiction, and please review! I love reading them.

* * *

Within minutes of waking up, Meredith knew that the day wasn't going to be a good one. First she couldn't find her wand, and tore apart her room to find it. Then when she did she also discovered that her book-bag was missing, and when she found it she was already late and therefore didn't have time for breakfast. She bolted down to the dungeons, and made it to class just as Professor Snape was beginning his lesson.

"Glad you've decided to grace us with your presence, Miss Douglas," Snape said sardonically. "Ten points from Gryffindor for being late, please take your seat." He said without looking up from the books on his desk.

Meredith rolled her eyes, sitting down. She smiled at Oliver as she set her books out on the table. "You know if I was in Slytherin and I showed up late he wouldn't even say anything," she whispered to him.

Oliver chuckled, smiling. "I know, he's a git." He said.

"And I have the incredible privilege of having solo lessons with him tonight," she sighed, running her hands through her hair.

"Well, perhaps I can wait up for you and we can, uh, find a way to relieve some of your stress," he slid his hand up her leg as he said this.

"Oliver!" Meredith shouted, slapping his hand away violently and stood up. She looked around and noticed everyone, including Snape, was staring at her. Without saying another word she left the classroom, running up to the Gryffindor common room.

Lucky for her there was no one else was there when she ran into the common room, tears streaming from her face. She sat in front of the fire, watching the flames dance back and forth as she thought about what had happened. _It wasn't that bad, what he did. But now I just have to...I have to end it now. He obviously doesn't understand anymore. I need to end it with him. _Once she calmed herself down by the fire, Meredith walked to her dorm room and showered, skipping the rest of her classes for that day.

During Oliver's free period, he walked up to the common room in search of Meredith. He found her sitting on her favorite couch in front of the fire. He sat down by her, his hands clasped together in his lap. "Meredith, I am so very sorry for what I did in Potions," he said gently.

Meredith sighed, not looking at him. "No, Oliver, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't end this sooner. You obviously don't understand or respect the reasons why I told you why we can't do those types of things. It's too risky."

Oliver groaned, searching her face for any hints of emotion, any signs that she didn't mean what she said. "I already told you about a hundred times, I would wear a condom...I always do."

"Oh, you always do?" Meredith scoffed, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "How many times have you done it, Oliver? Hmm? You **knew **right from the beginning that we couldn't do that. I told you why. And you said you didn't mind. If you want to have sex so badly just go do it with someone else. We're done." She said, getting up to leave.

Oliver stood up as well, meeting her eyes. "Meredith, you don't mean that." His eyes were glistening with tears; he was genuinely saddened by what she said.

Meredith sighed, "Yes, Oliver, I do. As much as it pains me to say it. I do mean it. We're over." She said, leaving the room before he could catch her again. Searching for a place to hide, she went into the library and found a book to lose herself in until her first night lesson with Professor Snape.

Three hours later she went down to the Great Hall for dinner and was presented with a problem; where should she sit? The spot where she usually sat was filled with Oliver and his friends, so it obviously wasn't an option. She smiled to herself, seeing Harry and his two other friends sitting together. She walked over to them, smiling confidently. "Mind if I sit here?" she asked.

Harry looked up at her and grinned. "Not at all, sit down," he said. He introduced Meredith to Ron and Hermione, who smiled politely. "We have Quidditch practice tomorrow, Meredith," Harry reminded her.

"Yeah, I know. And if the last practice was any indication of how I'm going to play this season I think I'm just going to drop out now," she joked, taking a bite from the potatoes on her plate.

Harry laughed quietly, "Everyone was a little rusty, it was the first practice of the season," he said.

"No I know, it was just...unusual for me to be...that bad," Meredith said, quickly finishing her meal.

"Are you in a hurry to get somewhere, Meredith?" Harry asked, watching her fast paced eating in astonishment.

"Yes, unfortunately," she said, "I have...a detention with Snape I have to take care of tonight. I'll see you guys later." Meredith got up from the table and walked out into the hall, barely paying attention to Oliver or his friends, who seemed to be too into themselves to notice her walk by. She savored the silence of the walk to the dungeons, and knocked on the door rapidly.

"Come in," a voice drifted towards the door from inside.

Meredith took a deep breath and walked into Snape's classroom. It had a single large table in the center of the room and a cauldron on top, surrounded by a large number of ingredients, Meredith assumed to be for the potion. "We're actually...making it, tonight?" she said, slightly astonished.

"No, we're not. There is no way you would be ready to make even a passable version of the Wolfsbane potion by tonight. This type of complex potion making takes time to master; it's a pity Dumbledore didn't start teaching you in your sixth year, then we would have been more prepared." Snape said all this while simultaneously cleaning up the table and stowing the ingredients.

"Well, I suppose that remark was only slightly insulting to my intelligence so I will let that slide," Meredith said, setting her bag down on the floor. "Pardon me for asking, but if we're not making the potion tonight, then what are we doing?"

"Learning of the history of the Wolfsbane potion," Snape said, heaving a book onto the table between them. Dust flew up into the air when it landed, causing Meredith to sneeze violently. "To be able to properly make the potion, one must first learn where it comes from."

"All right, so...where does it come from?" Meredith asked, grabbing a stool from one of the tables behind her and sitting down on it. She looked up at Snape and smiled, "Well?" She asked.

Snape looked at her strangely, as if puzzled by her friendliness. He shook it off quickly, sat down across from her and opened the book. He then went through the complex history of the potion, explaining how it was created and what its intended use was.

Two and a half hours later Meredith was finally free from the darkness that seemed to envelope Snape's classroom. She practically sprinted up to the common room, wanting to finish the essays and other assignments she had been given so far in the week.

When she got to the common room, she was greeted by the twin faces of Fred and George Weasley standing at the top of the stairs. "Meredith," Fred said.

"We have to talk to you," finished George, looking at her sympathetically.

"OK," she shrugged casually, "let's talk." Meredith walked into the common room and sat in the chair in the corner of the room.

Fred sat on one of the arms of the chair, while George stood slightly behind the chair. "Look, we know that you broke up with Oliver," Fred started.

"But we need to know if you're going to do what you said and quit the team as well," George continued, drumming his thumbs on the back of the chair.

"Because we think you should stay on the team...you're the best chaser we have," Fred bent down to get a closer look at her face.

Meredith sighed, looking away from the twins' concerned eyes. "I'm not going to quit the team," she said.

Fred smiled, full of relief. "That's good," he said.

"Yes, it is," George smiled as well.

"Can I go now?" Meredith asked, "I just came back up to pick up my books from my room. I need to head to the library."

Fred and George nodded in unison, saying, "good bye Meredith."

Meredith smiled at the two of them as she walked up to her room. After grabbing her book-bag she went straight to the library. She saw that Harry and Hermione were there and decided to sit with them. "What are you guys working on?" She asked as she set her bag down on an empty chair and sitting in the other.

"Researching hippogriff cases," Hermione said, not looking up from what she was reading.

"Is this...just for fun, or is there some kind of purpose to it?" Meredith raised an eyebrow at Harry, whose cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

Hermione looked up from her book, pushing a strand of her hair back from her face. "You know Hagrid, right?" She asked.

Meredith nodded, "Of course. He's great...but what's this got to do with him?"

"Everything," Harry said. "During our first Care of Magical Creatures lesson Hagrid brought hippogriffs...you know, half horse, half bird animals. Anyway, he specifically told us that the creatures were easily offended...you know, they had honor. Apparently Draco Malfoy wasn't listening when he told us, and he provoked a hippogriff which caused it to slash him with his talon. Malfoy is totally fine, but the Board of Governors is having a hearing anyway...and if they decide in favor of Draco, then they're going to execute the hippogriff."

Meredith looked at him, incredulous. "Malfoy? As in...Lucius Malfoy's son? Scrawny little blonde boy?"

Harry nodded, "That's the one."

"Oh, that slimy little git," Meredith said. She sighed, "He's nothing but pure trouble. Is there any chance you guys need some help?"

Hermione nodded, "We could use some, yeah. There are a few books on the table behind you that Harry and I haven't looked through yet." She pointed to the stack of about ten books on the other table.

Meredith looked at the intimidating stack of books and picked the one on the top and opened it. "And what exactly should I be looking for?"

"Cases involving hippogriff attacks wherein the hippogriff in question doesn't get executed," Hermione replied, her nose already buried in a different book.

"OK," Meredith said, and without another word she began scanning the various cases listed in the book, looking for anything hippogriff related. She didn't find much of anything, nor did Harry or Hermione. "It's all right, we can look again tomorrow. I'll work as hard as I can to help you guys help Hagrid." Meredith said to them as they were walking to the common room together.

"Meredith, can I ask you something?" Harry said when they reached the Portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Sure, Harry, what's up?" Meredith replied, looking at him.

"Did you really break up with Oliver?" Harry asked, "I heard from Fred and George that you did today."

Meredith sighed, nodding. "Yes, I did. And no, I won't be quitting the team. I thought about it for a while and decided that I wanted to be on that team this year 'cause I believe that we're going to do it this year."

"Won't it be weird, I mean...Oliver, being the captain and all that?" Harry said.

"It probably will be at first, but...I'm sure it will be fine after a while. Oliver is a big boy, he can handle himself." Meredith smirked, walking up to her dorm room. "I'll see you tomorrow, Harry," she said, waving.


	6. Chapter 6

Meredith's claim that Quidditch wouldn't be weird since she broke up with Oliver turned out to be entirely false. He was flying around, practically hysterical the whole time, yelling things at her about teamwork and understanding and how the team should be able to do things for each other. Meredith shoved his behavior aside for about three weeks, until finally she wasn't able to handle it anymore."I QUIT!" She yelled, "I'm tired of you always yelling at me. Even when I do things right you're always screaming about one little thing I did wrong! And all that stuff about 'teamwork' and 'understanding' is total and absolute CRAP, Oliver. I KNOW what you're really saying, and you need to knock it off! I broke up with you three weeks ago...GET OVER IT!" She stomped off the Quidditch pitch, carrying her broomstick over her shoulder. Oliver and the rest of the team just stood there, dumbfounded.

Just as Meredith was stepping out of the shower, she remembered that her and Snape had scheduled an extra night of lessons for Wednesdays, just to be sure she would '_have adequate time to learn the complex nature of this particular potion_' as Snape put it. She pulled her wet hair into a bun, changed back into her school robes and sprinted down to Snape's office, not wanting to be late again.

Meredith knocked on the door but before waiting for a reply she walked in. Snape was sitting as his desk grading essays; he looked up at the clock, "You're late," he said, getting up from the desk.

"Yes, well, we can meet anytime of the week now," Meredith said, pausing. "I quit the Quidditch team about twenty minutes ago."

"Really?" Snape said, intrigued, "How...unfortunate."

"Yes, I can see you're really torn up about it, Professor," she said sarcastically.

"I will not tolerate your sarcastic attitude, Miss Douglas." Snape said sharply, pulling a few books out from under his desk.

"You know, students would probably like you better if you didn't act like such a raging tyrant," Meredith said, sitting down casually. "You could try calming down, being a little more laid-back and less uptight; like Professor Lupin."

Snape's hands tightened around the book he held in his hands until his knuckles turned white. "I do not wish to be like that mangy dog in any way," he said darkly, putting the book down.

Meredith raised an eyebrow, confused. "Why do you have so much hatred for Professor Lupin? What did he ever do to hurt you?"

"It's not what he did," Snape said, looking anywhere but at Meredith's face. "But what he did not do."

"What do you mean?" Meredith asked, slightly confused.

"His friends James and Sirius decided to humiliate me in front of almost the entire school, and he was sitting right there, watching and did nothing to stop it," Snape said, "he just sat there and ignored it, like nothing was happening. And everyone was laughing."

"So instead of stopping his friends from...doing whatever it is that they did, he just sat and watched?" Meredith said, "That's terrible." She looked up at him, her green eyes looking into his dark brown ones. She smiled kindly, "But sometimes its easier to stand up to someone you hate than to your best friends. Because they won't take you seriously, or they'll push you aside. I know how terrible it is...I've been on both sides of that situation. Where you were, being humiliated, begging for it to end. And where he was, watching helplessly, wishing there was something I could do. I'm sure he wanted to do something to stop it, but he just thought that he couldn't."

Snape looked at her, his eyes swimming with emotion. It startled Meredith to see a man like Snape, who always had such a somber attitude, express true vulnerable emotions. He stared at her for a few moments and then appeared to regain himself. He cleared his throat twice, standing up straighter. "On second thought, Miss Douglas, I think I'm going to cancel tonight's lesson." He said.

Meredith smiled kindly, "all right, sir, no problem. I've already drunk tonight's supply of potion, and Dumbledore's waiting to bring me to the shack in the woods where I can...be sure to stay out of peoples' way," she said, reaching out to touch his hand, but at the last second stopped herself. "I'll see you in a few days," she said and walked out the door. Dumbledore was standing in his office, talking to his phoenix when Meredith came through the door. "I'm ready to go, sir," she said, smiling sheepishly.

"I heard you quit the Quidditch team, Meredith," Dumbledore said, looking at her thoughtfully, "May I ask why?"

Meredith suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Oliver and I...weren't getting along very well," she said, shrugging.

"Forgive me for asking, I was just curious." He said, smiling kindly at her. He collected his cloak and hat, walking out of his office with her.

They walked together in silence through the castle and out to the grounds, past the lake and finally arriving at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Meredith sighed, tightening the grip around her arms.

"Where did you tell your housemates you were going?" Dumbledore asked her after he had led the way into the woods.

"I, uh...told them that my cousin was very sick and I had to go visit her," she said, trying to smile.

Dumbledore patted her on the back three times. "See you in a few days, Miss Douglas." And with that, he left her to the shack that would be her home for the next couple of days.

Dumbledore had this shack built the year Meredith got to Hogwarts; it was a relatively small space, but enough for a teenage werewolf to curl up and not be a danger to anyone for a while. No sooner had she gotten inside the door of the shack had the clouds moved, uncovering the full moon. Meredith removed as much of her clothes as she could, not wanting to ruin too much of them during the transformation.

Four days later Dumbledore walked back to the shack in the Forbidden Forest and found Meredith lying on the floor covered in a blanket. He woke her and after she got dressed he walked with her back to the castle. He spoke very little, save for the usual pleasantries, and Meredith finally asked him why. "Dementors came onto the Quidditch pitch during the game between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff...Harry fell off his broom from nearly fifty feet in the air." He said.

Meredith gasped, her hand flew to her mouth. "Is...is Harry hurt?" Her eyes were wide with fear.

"Oh, Harry is fine," Dumbledore said, "I wish I could say the same for his broom, though...it hit the Whomping Willow and...it smashed Harry's broom to pieces," Dumbledore said. "Harry's absolutely devastated."

Meredith let out a deep sigh, wrapping her sweater around herself. "That's terrible...I mean, at least Harry's OK, but he's had that broom for ages...and good brooms aren't cheap." After she made it to the castle doors she walked to the hospital wing to see Harry.

"Hey, Meredith, how is your cousin?" Harry asked tiredly, looking at her.

"Huh? Oh, she's doing better, Harry. How are you?" Meredith asked, trying to smile.

Harry sighed, "I'm fine. Dementors came to the Quidditch match yesterday and...I fell off my broom, and it fell into the Whomping Willow." He sighed again, biting his lip.

"Oh, Harry, that's terrible," Meredith said, taking his hand in hers. "I'm so sorry...but at least you weren't hurt."

"Yeah, but now I have no broom to play Quidditch with," he complained.

"Well, I happen to have a Nimbus 2001 that's been aching to go up into the sky again," Meredith smiled, "you can use my broom until you find a suitable replacement. I quit the team, so I don't need it."

Harry grinned, "Thanks, Meredith!" He said, squeezing her hand.

Meredith laughed, "You're welcome, Harry. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go and catch up on my sleep before classes tomorrow. I've barely started my assignment for Lupin's class." She started to walk off.

"Lupin hasn't been here for the past three days," Harry said, "Snape's been filling in for him. Says he's sick."

"Oh," Meredith said, "that's too bad. Well, I'll see you later, Harry." And with that, Meredith walked up to her dormitory and fell straight to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Meredith sat alone in the Great Hall eating breakfast when Fred and George sat down on the opposite side of the table. Fred's eyes searched Meredith's face, noticing the prominent dark circles under her eyes and a slight bruise on her cheekbone. "Meredith," Fred said, his voice full of what could be called sympathy, "you...you don't look well."

Meredith scoffed, looking up from the _Daily Prophet_ she was reading. "Gee, thanks Fred, that makes me feel so much better about myself."

"No, no, no...that's not what I mean at all," Fred replied hastily. "It's just that you look...exhausted. Dark circles under your eyes," he pointed his finger to the area under her eyes.

"Oh, yeah..." Meredith said, pushing her bangs back from her forehead. "I haven't been sleeping well lately, uh...stress, you know."

"I heard you gave your broom to Harry," George chimed in.

"Yeah," Meredith said, nodding. "I figured, well...since I quit the team...he could use it until he got a new one for himself."

"Why did you quit?" George asked.

"Did you not see him yelling at me constantly at the last practice? I broke up with him, and I thought he'd be able to handle it professionally on the Quidditch pitch, but he obviously couldn't...so I quit," Meredith said defensively. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have class to go to." Meredith pulled her bag up to her shoulder and walked out of the Great Hall and to Lupin's classroom; she crossed her fingers hoping that Lupin was there.

Meredith's eyes lit up when she saw Lupin in the classroom. "Good to see you back, Sir," she said when she walked into the room. She threw her bag down in her usual spot and walked up to his desk to talk to him. "You were sick?"

Lupin nodded, "Yeah, I...have a terrible immune system and every once in a while I just...become terribly sick." He said, all of a sudden preoccupied with checking some work from another class. "How was Professor Snape as your substitute?"

Meredith smirked, then shook her head. "I wasn't here either. My...cousin is very sick. She lives at St. Mungo's in the long-term care section, and I visit her once a month." She said. "Harry, Ron and Hermione were complaining about him all day at breakfast, though. Apparently he made them do some crazy essay about werewolves, or something."

"Oh, really?" Lupin looked up at her. "I'll...have to speak to Professor Snape about that, then."

Meredith nodded, "That's probably a good idea...those three were pretty livid. I can only imagine what the rest of the class was thinking." She said.

Lupin chuckled, slightly amused by the thought of a group of angry thirteen year olds. At that moment students began to pour into the classroom, and Meredith took her place at her usual table.

Meredith stayed behind after class, wanting to ask him about what Snape had told her. "Um, Professor, can I ask you something?" She walked up to his desk and put her hands on his desk, leaning forward.

"Ask away," Lupin said, organizing the papers they had just handed in.

"And feel free to stop me at any point if you feel like I'm being too intrusive," Meredith said. "But I was in Professor Snape's classroom the other night, uh, serving a detention and...I told him that people would like him better if he wasn't so harsh and mean, like if he was more like you."

Lupin chuckled, "Uh-oh. How did he feel about that?"

Meredith smirked, "He was...not amused. I believe his exact words were: '_I do not wish to be like that mangy dog in any way.' _" She said, biting her lip.

Lupin looked slightly uncomfortable, but prompted her to continue by saying, "and your question was?"

"Well, after he said that I asked him why he hated you so much," Meredith paused, looking directly in his eyes. "And he said that he hated you because you didn't stop your friends from terrorizing him in front of the whole school. He said, '_his friends James and Sirius.'_" Meredith paused, unsure if she really wanted to ask him now; his gaze intimidated her. "Sir...Did you know Sirius Black?"

Lupin cleared his throat, putting down his quill. "Yes, I did." He said.

"At any point did you sense that there was something...off about him? Something that showed that he was a monster?" Meredith asked, "Or did it take you by surprise when you found out?"

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know what you mean." Lupin said with a slightly confused tone.

"Did you know that...he was a monster? Or were you shocked that he was siding with He Who Must Not Be Named?" Meredith asked, her voice quiet.

Lupin looked at her with concerned eyes, yet he had no idea why she was asking him this. "No, Meredith. I didn't know that Sirius was on that side. I was definitely shocked when I had learned what he did."

Meredith nodded, understanding. "all right, well, um...I should go." She said, picking up her book-bag and walking out of the classroom before Lupin could respond. Being a werewolf never really sat right with her; becoming a monster once a month was unbearable, she needed to know if people could sense that something was off about her, or if she fooled them all, like Sirius fooled Lupin. Her mind dwelled on these thoughts the whole day, even as she sat around the fire in the common room pretending to work on a Potions assignment.


	8. Chapter 8

October and November passed by fairly quickly due to her immense workload; before she knew it, Meredith was planning her holiday vacation and making arrangements with her aunt in Australia. Over the past two months she threw herself into her classes, including the supplementary ones with Professor Snape who, to her immense surprise, was actually not that bad of a guy. Once he had told her about the incident with Lupin and his friends, it was as if she had broken through his callous shell and they could relate with some semblance of civility; they even shared the occasional joke.

Meredith was trapped in her head, like usual, when Harry plopped down on the chair next to her. "What are you doing for the holidays, Meredith?" He said in a cheery voice.

"What? Oh, I'm going to Australia, to visit my aunt and uncle." Meredith grinned.

"Oh, cool. I'm staying here...so are Ron and Hermione," Harry said.

"That'll be fun, try not to get into trouble," Meredith winked at him, smiling.

"I'll try. Not making any promises though," he smiled back.

Meredith giggled, ruffling up his already messy hair as she got up from the couch. "See you around, kid. I have to pack...I'm leaving in the morning." She sauntered up the stairs to her dorm and was startled by Hermione, who was sitting on her bed, holding a book open. "Oh, hey Hermione, what's up?" Meredith said, slightly confused. She reached into her closet and started folding clothes for her trip to Australia.

Hermione looked at her, or rather above her; she seemed unable to meet her eyes. "Meredith, I...I want to ask you something," she said, biting her lip nervously.

"Sure, Hermione, what is it?" Meredith dropped what she was holding onto the floor, and sat next to her on her bed.

Scooting away from her ever-so slightly, Hermione cleared her throat. "Well, when Lupin was sick the first time, Snape had our class write an essay about the ways of recognizing and killing...werewolves. After I had written it, I noticed some...similarities to...to your behavior...and his, as well."

Meredith nodded, smiling slightly. "You noticed that I was disappearing right around the time of the full moon every month, you're very clever, Hermione. Is there something you want to ask me?"

"Are...you a werewolf?" Hermione asked, her eyes filled with something between fear and fascination.

Meredith nodded again, "I am." She said; but then something caught her attention. "Wait a second. You said you noticed similarities to my behavior, and to _Lupin's?" _She said his name, raising an eyebrow. "Are you trying to say that Lupin is a werewolf, too?"

"I guess so. I mean, it makes sense, doesn't it? He disappears the exact same time as you do, claims he gets sick. But who gets sick every month around the same time?" Hermione said.

Meredith smiled, "You're a very smart girl, Hermione. But please, I'm begging you, do **not** tell Ron or Harry. I don't think they'd be as understanding as you are." She grabbed her cloak and threw it around her shoulders.

"Of course, I won't tell Ron or Harry a thing," Hermione nodded vigorously. "Where are you going?" She asked, looking confused.

"I...just remembered I have to go send a letter to my aunt." She said, turning around on her heels and leaving the dorm.

She wasn't really headed to the owlery. Meredith wanted confirmation from Lupin that he was a werewolf. She had no idea if he would even tell her the truth, but the information was too important to ignore. _How could I have not seen it? I mean, I am a werewolf...I would like to think I'd recognize another._ She thought to herself as she walked into Lupin's office.

Lupin looked up from his notes and smiled when he saw Meredith. "I thought you had left already, with the bigger group of students." He said.

"No," Meredith shook her head, "I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Going to Australia again," she smiled. "Its summer there right now, you know. It's going to be really warm."

Lupin nodded, "Yes, it will." He said, smiling. When she didn't speak further, he put down his quill and setting aside his notes. "Was there something you needed, Meredith?"

"Um, no, not really...I just wanted to ask you something," Meredith said, squeezing her hands together as if she was cold.

"What is it?" He said, sitting up straight in his chair.

"Well...um...I had just spoken to Hermione about...the essay that she did for Snape about, uh, werewolves...and she pointed out how I share some of the distinctions of a werewolf," Meredith said, pacing back and forth. "You know, being gone every month around the full moon, coming back with mysterious injuries and heavy dark circles under my eyes like I hadn't slept in days."

"Are you saying that you're a werewolf, Meredith?" Lupin asked, taken by surprise.

"Yes, Professor, I am." Meredith nodded, continuing her nervous pacing. "But then she also mentioned how **your** behavior was similar to that of a werewolf as well...so...my question for you, Lupin, is...Are you a werewolf, too?" She met his eyes with a questioning look, biting her lip.

For a long time Lupin didn't say anything, he just stared straight into Meredith's eyes, which betrayed her almost perfect composure. They were swimming with emotion; a raging mix of fear and hopefulness. Finally, he spoke: "I must say, Hermione is one of the cleverest students in my classes," he paused before saying, "yes, Meredith, I am a werewolf." He said calmly, his voice even.

Meredith's eyes widened in shock; for the first time in years, she was literally speechless. After a few minutes of awkward silence on Meredith's part, she finally spoke, but her voice was shaking. "Merlin's beard...really?" She said.

Lupin nodded politely, waiting for her to regain her composure. "I am," he repeated.

Meredith sat down in the chair nearest her, for fear that she would collapse at any moment. After she had calmed herself down, she spoke; "If its not too intrusive...can I ask when you were bitten?"

"I was bitten by a werewolf by the name of Fenrir Greyback when I was just a child," Lupin said, "I don't remember much about it...I suppose that my mind blocked the memory of it somehow."

Meredith nodded, "I wish I could have that, Lupin, but unlike you I have a very vivid memory of what happened to me," she said, sighing, looking down at her hands as if they had all the answers.

While Meredith was staring at her hands, Lupin was staring at her. His eyes traveled over her face, noticing how her wolfishness was evident on her face now that he knew that she was one; the dark circles under her eyes were far too pronounced to be from everyday stress, and the scars on both sides of her face stood out when he focused on them. "How old were you when you were bitten?" He asked.

Meredith looked up from her hands and she met his stare as she said: "I was 10 years old. The werewolf that bit me also killed my entire family."

"That's terrible, Meredith," Lupin said, sympathy evident in his voice. He bit the inside of his cheek, searching for something to say.

Meredith nodded, "After it happened Dumbledore took me under his wing, I stayed with him and he brought me to Hogwarts when I was old enough to go. He...helped me understand what was happening to me...he gave me the tools to help me grow. He saved my life."

Dumbledore is a great man," Lupin nodded in agreement. "He's helped a lot of people, even me." He answered Meredith's questioning look before she could speak; "He gave me a job, which isn't easy when you are...like us." Lupin fought the urge to smile; he was never able to talk to someone that really, truly understood him before. The ability to connect was lost to him because of what he was.

"He's an amazing man," she said, nodding. After a few moments of oddly comfortable silence, Meredith decided that it was time for her to go. "I still have a lot of packing to do, I should probably go," she said, getting up.

Lupin jumped up and walked with her to his door and opened it for her. He smiled warmly at Meredith and brushed his hand across the small of her back. "Have a good holiday, Meredith," he said.

Meredith jumped, surprised by his touch. "You too, Professor," she said, smiling as well. They stood by the door for what seemed like forever, just staring at each other, as if they were trying to figure everything out about the other just by looking into their eyes.

It was Meredith who broke eye contact first. She looked away, fearing that her eyes would betray her true feelings. She smiled, putting an arm around his shoulder in a semi-awkward one armed hug. "You too, Sir," she said, and walked back to her dorm to finish packing.


	9. Chapter 9

The three week break went by way too fast for Meredith; she spent the entire vacation on the beach reading and getting tan. When she got back she had a healthy glow, which helped her look less haggard and sickly. The sun also managed to change her mood, making her generally more cheerful. After she unpacked her trunk Meredith went searching for Hermione, who she had grown close to ever since Hermione had revealed her secret.

"I knew I would find you in here, Hermione," Meredith grinned, walking into the library where Hermione was sitting at a desk reading.

Hermione looked up from the book she was reading and grinned. "Hey Meredith," she said, getting up and hugging her. "How was your holiday?"

"Amazing! You have to go to Australia someday, Hermione...it's beautiful," she smiled, "how was yours?"

"It was all right, I stayed at the castle with Ron and Harry," Hermione smiled and sat down again.

Meredith sat down in the chair opposite Hermione's, "Have things gotten any better with Ron and the whole...Scabbers thing?"

Hermione sighed, shaking her head. "No, it hasn't. He's still upset about that." She paused, sighing again. "It's actually gotten worse...Harry's mad at me too."

"What? Why? What happened?" Meredith asked, looking at Hermione sympathetically; having both of your friends mad at you can't have felt good.

"Well, Harry...got a broom for Christmas." Hermione said.

"Wow, really? That's great! He can stop using mine," Meredith said, smiling. "Who sent it to him?"

"That's the thing, there wasn't a card," Hermione said. "And it was a really nice broom, too. A Firebolt."

Meredith's jaw dropped, "A Firebolt? Really? And there was no card? That's...kind of weird."

"I know, that's why I told McGonagall, and she took it from him so they could strip it down and check it for jinxes," Hermione said.

"That's good, that's really smart of you Hermione," Meredith said, "I mean, Sirius Black could have sent it to him."

"Exactly! That's what I said, but **no**, Ron and Harry still got mad at me...I was looking out for Harry's safety, and they both got upset with me," Hermione said, her eyes filling with tears.

Meredith got up from her chair and wrapped Hermione in a hug, rubbing her back. "It's all right, Hermione," she said. "They're just being stupid boys, they only care about one thing. Just...give them some time."

Hermione sobbed into Meredith's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her for support. After a few minutes of frantic crying, Hermione wiped her eyes and sighed deeply. "Thanks Meredith," she said.

"I can talk to them, if you'd like," Meredith suggested.

Hermione shook her head, "No, Meredith, you don't have to do that."

"Well, I think I'm going to anyway," Meredith said. "I hate seeing good friends fight." And with a final hug, Meredith walked down to the common room in search of Ron and Harry.

She didn't have to go far; Harry was sitting in the common room playing chess with Ron, who was winning. "You can still beat him, Harry," Meredith walked around to Harry's side.

Harry looked up and grinned, seeing her. "Meredith! How was your holiday?" He stood up and hugged her tightly; Ron did the same.

"It was great, I went to Australia," Meredith nodded. "How was yours, spending it at Hogwarts?"

Ron smiled, "It was OK. Harry got a Firebolt for Christmas."

Meredith's eyes widened, feigning shock. "A Firebolt? Really? Wow, that's amazing. From who?"

Harry shrugged, "I dunno. There was no card with it," he said.

"So someone just...sent you a Firebolt...anonymously. That's really..." Meredith shook her head. "That's kind of strange, don't you think?"

"That's what Hermione said, too," Ron said, his voice filled with bitterness. "So she went and told McGonagall, and she took it away from him."

"Honestly, Ron, I would have done the same exact thing," Meredith said, crossing her arms.

Ron stared at Meredith, shocked. "What? You know how great a Firebolt is...why would you do that?"

"Because, Ron, a deranged killer is after Harry! That broom could have easily come from Sirius Black!" Meredith said.

Ron and Harry both looked at Meredith, flabbergasted. She didn't have any more to say, so she left the common room and wandered around the castle grounds, stomping through the freshly fallen snow. She watched students run around throwing snowballs at each other, laughing merrily. She spent the rest of the day wandering about the castle consumed by her thoughts.

* * *

A/N: I know its a short chapter but I didn't have much to go on for this...once again, I love that people are reading this, I would love it if you reviewed :) I'm still stuck on a title, I'm thinking something like "Connections" or something, but I'm not too sure.


	10. Chapter 10

Eight weeks had passed without incident at Hogwarts, Meredith was focusing on her homework and throwing herself into the extra classes with Snape. After he harangued her about the history of the potion-which actually wasn't that interesting-he had finally let her attempt to make it.

"So...Professor," Meredith leaned over the cauldron containing her first attempt at the Wolfsbane potion, "how does that look?"

Snape leaned over the cauldron, examining the potion. After a few moments of silence, he scowled slightly. "It's all wrong," he said curtly, pulling his wand out and clearing the potion out of the cauldron.

"Well, um, Thank you, Professor," Meredith said, struggling to smile. She gathered her school supplies in her bag and left the classroom silently.

When Meredith got to the common room Percy Weasley, a 7th year like her, was waiting at the top of the stairs. "Hey Percy," Meredith smiled politely.

"Uh, hey Meredith, um, I don't know if you've noticed but, uh, there's a Hogsmeade trip coming up and uh, I don't know if you were going to go or not, and," Percy paused, taking a breath.

"Are you asking me to go to Hogsmeade with you, Percy?" Meredith asked, grinning broadly.

Percy smiled, his cheeks flushing with color. "Yes, I am." He said.

Meredith grinned again, nodding. "I would love to go with you," she said. "I'll meet you here in the common room at noon?"

Percy nodded vigorously, still smiling. "Sounds good, yes," he said.

Meredith giggled, "alright, Percy, see you tomorrow," she said, walking up to her dorm room to finish a homework assignment before she went to sleep.

The next day Meredith got up early to get dressed for her date with Percy; though she never thought about him in the romantic sense, she still found him attractive, which was making her nervous. After about an hour of ransacking her closet, she found an acceptable outfit: blue jeans, a white lace tank top underneath a long-sleeved green sweater. At precisely noon, she walked down to the common room to find Percy sitting on the arm of a chair next to the fireplace.

"Hey, Percy," Meredith grinned, walking up to him. "Are we ready to go?"

Percy stood up, taking his attention away from the fire. He smiled when he saw her, "Ready if you are." He smiled again, holding out his arm for her to take. "You look really nice, by the way."

Meredith grinned again, "Thanks," she linked her arm through his, resting her hand just above his wrist. They walked along the path to Hogsmeade village, admiring the scenery. "So what should we do first?" Meredith said once they had entered the village.

"Butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks?" He suggested, "It'll get us warmed up." Percy rubbed his hands together.

"Oh, yeah, that sounds great!" Meredith smiled, resting both of her hands on Percy's arm as they walked into the pub.

Luckily a lot of the students hadn't gotten into Hogsmeade yet so the Three Broomsticks was relatively empty, and they got a table in the corner of the pub. Their butterbeers arrived, and Meredith took a long, slow drink from hers before speaking.

"So Percy, are you still planning on working for the Ministry after you leave Hogwarts?" She said, wrapping her hands around the cup of butterbeer.

Percy nodded, smiling smugly. "I'm actually supposed to start working this summer, right after school ends."

"Oh, Wow, Percy...that's great!" Meredith said, smiling as well. She took a deep drink from her butterbeer to prevent herself from rolling her eyes; she could never understand why anyone would ever want to work in politics.

"I'm very excited," Percy nodded, putting his empty cup down on the table. "What are you going to do? I remember you saying you wanted to become an Auror?"

Meredith nodded, "An Auror or a Healer," she said. "I just want to help people, you know? Whether I catch dark wizards or heal people who have been victimized by them."

"That's very noble of you," Percy said, surprised.

"Well, I am a Gryffindor, aren't I?" She smirked, finishing off her butterbeer and signaling the waitress for another.

Percy chuckled, nodding. "This is true," he said.

After drinking two more butterbeers each, the couple left the Three Broomsticks and spent the rest of the day wandering about Hogsmeade, stopping in nearly every store along the streets. At the end of the day they took their time walking back to the castle holding hands.

"I had a lot of fun with you today, Percy," Meredith said, smiling. She squeezed his hand gently.

"I did, too," Percy replied, smiling back. He stopped her outside the gate to the castle and stared at her, as if he was trying to decipher something.

Meredith smiled up at him, knowing exactly what he was doing or rather, trying to pluck up the courage to do. She slowly ran her hands up his arms, wrapping them around his neck, leaning up on her tiptoes she planted a soft kiss on his lips.

When they broke apart, Percy was grinning. He was about to speak when another voice interrupted them; it was Oliver. "What the hell is going on here?" He said, walking up to them.

"Well, up until a few moments ago we were having a great time on our date, but now..." Meredith said, glaring at him. "Now you've ruined it."

"A date? Oh, well that's nice," Oliver said. He turned to Percy, a sort of sadistic smile on his face. "Has she told you yet?"

Meredith's eyes widened, but before she could respond Percy reacted out of curiosity and asked, "told me what?"

"Oliver. Don't. Please, don't," Meredith pleaded.

Oliver disregarded Meredith and stared straight at Percy. "She's a werewolf," he said.

* * *

A/N: Bum bum bummm! Hah, sorry, I had to.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's taken me a little longer to update...I've been watching the Winter Olympics! There aren't any events going on today that catch my fancy (Apolo Ohno doesn't skate again until tomorrow, I have to support my love :P) so I thought I'd put up a couple of chapters while I have some time.

Again, I don't claim anything in this story as my own except for my character, Meredith. I hope you enjoy these next few chapters, some of them are kind of short but again, I've been caught up in the Winter Olympics and the wonderfully talented Apolo Ohno :-)

* * *

"You son of a--" Meredith reached for her wand but Oliver was already out of sight. She put it away, then looked over at Percy.

Percy just stood there, eyes wide with shock, staring at Meredith. "Are you...really?"

Meredith took a step towards Percy, reaching out a hand to touch his shoulder but he jumped backwards as if he was terrified of her. Sighing deeply, she nodded. "Yes, Percy, I am." She said, biting the inside of her cheek. Meredith already knew what was about to happen; she counted down in her head; _3...2...1._

Percy turned around and ran away from her without saying another word. Meredith turned to her left and kicked a pile of snow, causing it to fly everywhere. Exasperated, she sat down at the base of a statue, tucking her knees up to her chest, crying hysterically.

Lupin was walking back from Hogsmeade, hugging himself to keep warm when he came upon Meredith sitting in the snow crying. He sat down next to her and hesitantly put his arm around her shoulders. "Meredith, what's going on?" He said.

Meredith sobbed, wrapping her arms around him and digging her head into his shoulder. After a few minutes she managed to compose herself, taking several deep breaths and wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry, it's just...everything was going so well, and then it was all ruined," she said, hiccuping.

"Come to my office, we can talk there," Lupin said, helping her out of the snow. They walked through the castle together, Lupin keeping a careful distance from her. Once they got to his office he boiled water and poured tea for the both of them. "Now, tell me what's going on," he said with the tone of a concerned friend.

Meredith repeated the story to Lupin, holding back tears. "And then he just ran off, you know, like he was afraid of me or something," she said, biting her lip.

Lupin sighed, walking over to her and putting his hand over hers and squeezing it gently. "Meredith, I'm sorry that happened to you," he said, biting his lip.

"Why do people view others that are...like us, as monsters?" She said, running her hands through her hair.

"It's just the stigma...when people hear the word 'werewolf' they think of nightmarish things," Lupin said, "it comes with the territory."

"But we're NOT monsters," Meredith said, slamming her hand on her lap. She stood up, pacing between her chair and the windows. "I just...I **hate** it! Being...being this! This outcast! I can't have normal relationships with people, when I tell them what I am they look at me like I'm going to transform and bite their heads off or something," she ran her hands through her hair again.

Lupin walked over to her, catching her in his arms, stopping her frantic pacing. With hands on either side of her face, he spoke slowly, "Meredith, calm down. I know exactly how you feel, I do. I've had to deal with that my whole life...but hey, there's one thing that you need to know...This. Is not. Your. Fault."

"I know, it's just unfair!" Meredith said, resting her head on his shoulder, sighing.

Lupin wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him; they stayed that way for a while, wrapped up together. Meredith closed her eyes, breathing deeply, wrapping her arms tightly around him. She leaned up on her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his lips; he responded, kissing her back, holding her tightly.

After a few moments, Meredith broke the kiss, looking at her Professor in horror, "I...um...I should probably go...thanks for the tea, Professor," Meredith said, blushing furiously. She opened his office door, stumbling over her own feet as she hurried to leave. On her way to the common room she ran into Fred, who forced her to go to the Great Hall with him for dinner. "Fred, really, I'm not hungry... I don't want to go!" Meredith protested, trying to break free of Fred's grip on her arm.

Fred pulled her along the corridor, humming quietly. "Nonsense, you're eating," he said, forcing her to sit in between him and George.

Meredith sighed dejectedly, fiddling around with her food. "Fred, seriously, I don't want to eat," she said, trying to get up from the table.

"What's got your knickers in a twist?" George said, smirking.

"I had a bad day today, can we drop this, please?" Meredith said tiredly, getting up and leaving the Great Hall before they could respond. She snuck into the Prefect's bathroom and treated herself to a relaxing bath, trying to calm her nerves.

_"It's not a big deal, I just made out with my Professor, it's not that big of a deal...it isn't." _She tried to reassure herself as she dove down under the bubbles. Meredith leaned against the wall of the tub, still talking to herself. _"It was just a little kiss, nothing major...besides, he kissed me back...and I am of age so it wasn't illegal...but he's my Professor, it's fundamentally wrong...it shouldn't have happened...but it did happen, and I really liked it. Maybe I should talk to him about it, I don't know...Damn it!" _She got out of the tub and changed back into her clothes and walked back to her dormitory, tossing and turning for what seemed like hours before she was able to fall asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

The next day she went to class, unable to focus on anything her teachers were saying. Finally Defense Against the Dark Arts came by, the class Meredith was both dreading and looking forward to. She sat in her usual spot, trying to act as though nothing was going on; it was going well, except for the fact that every time Lupin looked at her, she brushed furiously and knocked something off her desk. Halfway through the class she feigned illness and snuck back into the Gryffindor common room to collect herself, disappearing from everyones sight until dinnertime.

"Hey Meredith, what's going on? I haven't seen you all day," George said, sitting down next to her and heaping mashed potatoes onto his plate.

"I...uh, wasn't feeling well today so I stayed in the dormitory and slept," Meredith said, looking down at her potatoes, avoiding looking at the teacher's table where Lupin was. "Did Harry get his Firebolt back yet?"

George's face broke out into a grin and he nodded vigorously, "Yeah, just in time for the match next month," he said. "I wish you hadn't quit the team, Meredith. With your skill as a Chaser and Harry's Firebolt we'd be unstoppable."

"Oh come on George," Meredith said, sighing. "I wasn't _that _good," she drank some of her pumpkin juice.

"Yes, you were, Meredith!" He insisted, "You scored, what...ten goals in one game last year against Ravenclaw? You were on fire then! There has to be some way you can get back on the team," George lowered his voice inconspicuously, "the new Chaser we have isn't anywhere near as good as you are."

Meredith smirked, "I don't know, George, you'd have to talk to Oliver...and after what happened between us I don't think even the possibility of winning the Quidditch Cup could sway his feelings."

George scoffed, "Come on, this is Oliver we're talking about, if it has anything to do with the Quidditch Cup he'll do pretty much anything to get it," he said. "And besides, you know you want to play. I've seen the look on your face when we go down to Quidditch practice and you have to stay in the common room."

"Even if Oliver _did _agree to let me back on the team I would probably stink, George," Meredith protested, "I haven't played Quidditch in months! I haven't even been on my broom since Harry's Nimbus was destroyed!"

"Well, then, let's go," George said resolutely, getting up from the table and dragging Meredith by the hand up to the common room. "I'll go get your broom from Harry, and you'll see how much you missed flying." He ran up the stairs and came back moments later with both of their brooms. Then they walked down to the Quidditch pitch, talking animatedly.

The moment they stepped on the field, something in Meredith changed; she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, taking in the fresh scent of the grass. She looked at George and grinned, mounting her broom. With a parting wink she kicked off the ground and flew into the air, doing a lap around the field. The wind flew in her face, whipping her hair back. After a few more laps she dismounted, landing right next to George, who was grinning triumphantly. "Was that great or what?" He said with a smug look on his face that could rival Percy's.

Meredith grinned back, resting her broom on her shoulder. She nodded, "It was amazing," she said, "but I'm still not asking Oliver to let me back on the Quidditch team."

"You don't have to, Meredith, I will!" George said, "that is, if you want me to."

Meredith looked up at the goal posts and smiled, thinking of all the years she used to play and how good it felt when she would soar through the air with the Quaffle in her hands. "Go ahead and talk to him, but I don't think he'll go for it," she said, shouldering her broom and walking back up to the castle. When she got back to her room there was a small tawny owl sitting on her bed. One of the other girls walked by and smiled, saying, "We tried to take the letter from him, but he just snapped at us, I think he's waiting specifically for you."

Meredith smirked as well and untied the note from the owl, who promptly flew out the window. She opened the note and laid out on her bed, reading it.

_Meredith, _

_I need to speak with you immediately regarding events that took place yesterday afternoon. If you get this before seven o'clock this evening please come to my office. _

_Professor Lupin_

Meredith looked up at the clock tentatively, praying silently that it was after seven. Her heart stopped; it was 6:45, she had just enough time to make it down there. She stuffed the letter in her pocket and ran down to his office, getting there right at seven. "Er, Professor?" She stuck her head into his classroom and walked up the stairs into his office after she heard him rifling around. "You...wanted to see me?" She sat down in the chair across from his, squeezing her hands together nervously.

"Yes, Meredith, I did," Lupin said, setting aside the stack of papers he had been looking through. He held her gaze for a moment before speaking. "I wanted to speak with you about what happened between us yesterday."

"You mean the kiss?" Meredith said, raising an eyebrow.

Lupin nodded, holding her gaze intently. "Yes, that's exactly what I mean," he said, getting up from his chair and sitting on the desk in front of her.

"Well, what about it," Meredith said slowly, trying to maintain her air of calm and composure.

"I don't think I need to tell you how inappropriate that was," Lupin said, giving a small smile. He bit the inside of his cheek looking away from her, as though he was trying to gather courage for what he was about to say. "And if...anyone were to find out about that, we would both get in a lot of trouble," he said, looking at her pointedly.

Meredith nodded, getting up from her chair and walking to the door. "Well, sir, you won't have to worry, because I'm not going to tell anyone," she said, putting her hand on the door, a hurt expression on her face.

Lupin got up and followed her to the door, putting his hand on hers to prevent her from opening the door. "Meredith, please don't take offense to what I said...it's just that...you're a student and it's really inappropriate," he said.

"No, I know that, Professor," Meredith said, nodding. She shook his hand off hers and opened the door, "Honestly, don't worry about it, I'm not going to say anything to anyone," she left the room, walking back to Gryffindor tower and fell sleep, tears staining her pillow.


	13. Chapter 13

Meredith couldn't bear going to Defense Against the Dark Arts class for the rest of the week so she feigned illness and hide out in the Room of Requirement, reading up on disguises and concealment--two things she would need to master in order to pass her Auror exams. She was also careful to avoid walking passed Lupin's classroom and office, going twenty minutes out of her way just to get to the Great Hall for meals. Meredith was sitting under the tree by the Black Lake when George came bounding up to her excitedly. Meredith smiled vaguely, putting down the book she was reading. "Hello, George," she said.

"I've just spoken to Oliver about letting you back on the team, and he's agreed to let you back, but only if you agree to speak with him privately," he said, grinning from ear to ear.

"All right, George, I'll go speak to him," Meredith said, getting up on her feet, leaning against the tree. "Where is he?" She said, starting off towards the castle.

"He's actually, right here," George said, stepping to the side and revealing a very contrite-looking Oliver, holding what Meredith assumed to be her old Quidditch robes. George looked from Oliver to Meredith, and stepped aside. "I'll...let you two talk," he said, walking back up to the castle before Meredith could protest.

Meredith forced a tight-lipped smile, sitting back down beneath the tree, patting the grass next to her inviting him to sit next to her. Oliver smiled back, sitting down next to her. "Look, Meredith, I'm really sorry about what I did, it was really childish of me," he said immediately, wrapping his arms around his knees, hugging them to his chest.

"Its fine Oliver, there's nothing to forgive," Meredith said, putting her hand over his and squeezing it gently. "I spoke to Percy and he agreed not to tell anyone, so it's all right." She looked up in the sky, watching a bird fly across the tops of the trees. "Now, what's this about you wanting me back on the Quidditch team?"

Oliver smiled broadly, "The Chaser we got to replace you isn't...quite as good as you are, and we need the best Chasers we can get in order to win us the Quidditch cup. That little...incident with the dementors and Harry put us in a bit of a bad situation, and," Oliver paused, running his hand through his short hair, "George can be quite persuasive."

"Yes, indeed he can," Meredith said, smirking. She could recall the many times George persuaded her to break the rules with him and his twin brother over the years. "How weird would it be, though? I mean, I quit the team four months ago, and you've made a name for the team with this new Chaser...wouldn't it be awkward to switch again right at the end of the season?"

Oliver nodded slowly, "I've spoken to her, and she's agreed to step down should you decide to join us," he said. "And she's even willing to feign a wrist injury to get herself out of the match."

"Wow, it would seem you thought of everything," Meredith said, looking at him with a mix of admiration and surprise in her eyes. "All right, when's the next practice?"

Oliver looked at his watch, "In about twenty minutes," he threw Meredith's Quidditch robes at her, "better get up to the dormitory and fetch your broom, wouldn't want you to be late," he winked before getting up and walking back towards the castle. Meredith followed suit, running up to her dormitory to get her broom, then ran back down to the Quidditch pitch to join the rest of the team.

The team, emboldened by the presence of Harry's Firebolt, performed their best plays perfectly, flying smoothly and in perfect formation. "Its great having you back," Fred said, winking at Meredith as they landed on the grass in the middle of practice.

Meredith smiled, pulling her hair back in a ponytail. "You should thank your brother for that, Fred, he's the one who persuaded Oliver to let me back on," she said, nodding in George's direction as he landed next to them; the rest of the team did the same, looking to Oliver for one of his impassioned speeches and lists of criticisms. To everyones surprise, he had none. The presence of the Firebolt put everyone in excellent spirits, and they walked back up to the castle together. On her way there she saw Hermione walking back up from Hagrid's hut; it looked as though she had been crying. Meredith said goodbye to Fred and George and walked over to her; she put her hand on her shoulder. "Hermione, what's wrong?" She said.

Hermione turned to Meredith, tearstains on her face. She took a deep breath and spoke in a shaky voice. "R-Ron...he...thinks that Crookshanks...ate Scabbers...he hates me," she said, flinging her arms around Meredith's neck and broke down.

Meredith sighed, wrapping her arms around Hermione and patting her back soothingly. Hermione coughed once and lifted her head up to speak again. "And...Hagrid's just sent me a letter...you remember Buckbeak? He...Hagrid lost the case...the Ministry's going to execute him..." she sobbed harder at this, clinging to Meredith's robes.

"You have to tell Ron and Harry," Meredith said, walking Hermione back up to the castle. "They'd want to know about it," she said, rubbing her back in an effort to calm her down. Hermione nodded wordlessly wiping her tears away. They walked up to the common room and found Harry and Ron sitting by the fire in their usual chairs. "I'll...leave you to it, then," she said awkwardly, patting her on the back and walking up to her dorm room. When she got up to her room there was an owl sitting on her bed, the same owl that delivered the letter Professor Lupin sent to her. Her heart stopped; he must have been upset that she's been skiving off lessons.

_Meredith,_

_I don't understand why you have been skipping my class, but you are only hurting your future by doing so. _

_I would like to speak to you immediately, please come by my office as soon as you get this message. _

_Professor Lupin_

Meredith crumpled up the note and threw it in her open trunk at the end of her bed. She sighed in defeat, getting up and walking to Lupin's office. Her stomach was in knots with feelings of nervous anticipation and a feeling she hadn't had since she first met Oliver; she was falling for her Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.


	14. Chapter 14

Meredith walked down the desolate corridors on her way to Lupin's office; her heart was pounding in her ears as she knocked on his office door. She walked into his office, not meeting his eyes, instead staring resolutely at the pictures behind him. "You, uh, wanted to see me Professor?" she said, looking down at her hands.

"Yes, I did, Meredith," Lupin said, looking at her with a kind of reproachful gaze. "As I said in my letter I do not understand why you are skipping my class, I thought we agreed that what happened wasn't going to affect anything."

"Sir, with all due respect, we didn't agree to anything of the sort," Meredith said, finding courage to meet his eyes. "What we agreed was that neither one of us was going to say anything to anyone about what happened. And I haven't. It's just...a little hard for me to be able to look at you now, I mean, after what happened, and **not** think about...you know, what happened...it's a little--"

He interrupted her, a flash of unknown emotion emerging in his expression; he stood up. "You think it's been easy for me?" He said, all of a sudden looking vulnerable; he walked around his desk and stood in front of her, his face about a foot from hers. "Every time I see you its like...," he put his hand over his heart, unable to speak. He looked away from her, a pained expression on his face.

Meredith pursed her lips, looking at him tentatively. She reached her hand across the space between them and ran her thumb across the back of his hand, tracing an old scar that was there. "I know exactly what you're saying, Professor," she said, setting her other hand on his cheek and turning his face so he was forced to look directly into her eyes. She studied his face intently, leaning closer to him and placing a tender kiss on his lips.

Lupin was taken by surprise; he broke the kiss and stared at Meredith incredulously. He was about to protest when she spoke again, putting a finger to his lips to silence him. "We can't ignore this, as much as I know you'd like to," she said, smirking slightly. "You know that there's something here," she put her hand over his heart, then over hers, "and we can't ignore it." She kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You're right," he said, defeated. He smiled at her, putting his hands on her hips. "But you cannot, and I mean absolutely cannot breathe a word of this to anyone...not even your closest friends," he said seriously, though his eyes had a mischievous glint to them.

"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul," Meredith grinned, pulling him into an intense kiss, shoving her tongue inside his mouth and pressing herself against him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Lupin entangled his hand in her hair, holding her head in place as he broke the kiss and started nipping at her neck roughly.

Meredith giggled, propping herself up against his desk, scattering papers and random objects on the floor. She was unbuttoning his shirt when there was a knock at the door. Meredith jumped off his desk and into a chair, straightening out her robes, trying to look casual.

Lupin did the same, walking over to the door and opening it. "Oh, hi Harry," he said, smiling vaguely. "I was just having a discussion with Meredith about her most recent essay she wrote, but I believe we're done," he looked at her pointedly.

Meredith nodded vigorously, getting up from the chair and walking over to the door. "Yes, Professor, thank you for your time, I appreciate your comments," she said, opening the door and walking back to the Gryffindor common room, a grin plastered on her face and for the first time in months, she slept soundly, even with the prospect of a Quidditch match coming up.

* * *

A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short, as I am writing this I'm watching Apolo Ohno skate in the Winter Olympics! Thankfully after his final events I'll be done watching the Winter Olympics (after this event there aren't any more I want to see...Shaun White has already won Gold) and I'll be able to write normally again.

Thanks so much for reading, guys, I really thought people would hate it. And again, please review, I love to read them!


	15. Chapter 15

The weeks passed imperceptibly as the prospect of N.E. and the Quidditch match kept Meredith so busy she developed insomnia and had taken to staying up all night in the common room, reading up on different subjects for her classes. On the day of the Gryffindor/Ravenclaw Quidditch match she actually fell asleep at the breakfast table, knocking her goblet of orange juice over and spilling it all over the table. Fred shook her awake while George siphoned the orange juice off of the tablecloth with his wand. "Meredith, wake up! This is no time to be passing out at the table," he said, shaking her violently.

"All right, god, I'm up!" Meredith exclaimed, rubbing her eyes wearily and pulling her hair up in a ponytail. She ate a piece of toast and walked down to the Quidditch pitch with the rest of the team. She was so absorbed in her own mind while she was getting dressed that she didn't even hear what Oliver was saying before they walked out onto the field.

"Mount your brooms!" Madam Hooch bellowed, holding a whistle. "One...two...three!" Meredith pushed herself up into the air along with the rest of the players; Gryffindor was in possession of the Quaffle first. Meredith soared through the air, flying in perfect synchronization with Katie and Angelina; she scored the first goal and narrowly avoided being hit with a Bludger by flipping around on her broom, barely catching the Quaffle after Katie intercepted it from one of the Ravenclaw Chasers. Meredith saw Harry zoom passed her, a scarlet blur heading for the opposite end of the field. _He must have spotted the Snitch_ she thought, smiling to herself.

Meredith was watching Harry pull out of an impossible dive when there was a scream of surprise from Katie; Meredith turned around in time to see the Quaffle flying towards her; she caught it just in time. "Sorry!" she nodded at Katie and dropped the Quaffle to Angelina and flying towards the Ravenclaw goal posts in an attempt to distract the Keeper; it worked; they scored the sixth goal of the game. Meredith had just turned around to see a blinding silvery light shoot out of Harry's wand and go after what looked like two dementors on the ground. "Blimey, a Patronus," she murmured to herself, mouth open in surprise. She then watched Harry reach forward and grab what she assumed to be the Golden Snitch. Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and the entire Gryffindor crowd exploded into cheers. Meredith joined in the mid-air group hug, wrapping her arms around Harry and Oliver, planting a kiss on each of their cheeks. Somehow they all managed to get onto the ground and were immediately engulfed by the cheering crowd who had run out onto the field. "Party!" George shouted over the cheering crowd, "Party in the Gryffindor common room!" The rest of the team made their way back to the castle.

The students celebrated well into the night, stopping only when McGonagall came up to the common room and insisted they go to sleep. Meredith pretended to go up to her dormitory, but returned after everyone left to resume her all-night studying.

Sometime in the night Meredith fell asleep on her Potions textbook and woke up to see a gaunt-looking man holding a knife and staring at her; she recognized him from the Wanted posters as Sirius Black, the killer that escaped from Azkaban. "Oh my God!" she screamed, knocking her books off the table in surprise. The man let out a startled yell and ran in a different direction.

Everyone was gathered in the common room for the rest of the night, listening to Ron and Meredith's stories about their encounters with Sirius Black; Ron seemed to enjoy the attention, unlike Meredith, who just wanted to get back to work. "I fell asleep at the table and when I woke up he was staring at me; I screamed and he ran away," she said for about the hundredth time, running her hands through her hair exasperatedly.

* * *

The next day Meredith slept until the late afternoon, exhausted from both the Quidditch match and the incident with Sirius Black. When she finally woke up, she walked down to Lupin's office. "I am so exhausted," she said, resting her head on his shoulder and letting out a heavy sigh.

Lupin chuckled, patting her on the back soothingly. "You were great during the Quidditch match yesterday," he said.

"I was actually referring to the incident with Sirius Black last night," Meredith said casually, assuming he had already heard about it.

Lupin held her at arms length, looking at her with a concerned look on his face. "Wait, what are you talking about?" He said, shocked.

"You didn't hear?" Meredith raised an eyebrow. "Oh, uh, Sirius Black broke into the Gryffindor tower last night. Apparently he was standing over Ron with a knife, or something. I was in the common room, I fell asleep doing homework for Potions, and when I woke up he was staring at me, then I screamed and he ran off." She smiled, tucking a stray strand of hair behind his ear. "I'm fine, Professor, you don't have to look so worried."

Lupin gave her a small smile, kissing her forehead. "I know, that's just...," he paused, looking at the floor with a saddened expression on his face.

Meredith sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm sorry, I know you were friends with him when you were at Hogwarts. I can't even begin to fathom how it must feel to have...a thing like this happen," she pulled him into her arms and hugged him tightly.

Lupin sighed as well, resting his head on her shoulder, closing his eyes. For a while they stayed like that, just holding each other. Then he seemed to have realized something and smiled. "You don't have to call me 'Professor' when it's just us together," he said. "Call me Remus."

"All right," she grinned broadly, "Remus." Meredith cleared a spot on his desk and sat on it, propping her feet on the chair she had been sitting on. "So, I'm assuming you're the one who taught Harry how to conjure such a superb Patronus?"

Lupin nodded proudly, smiling. "Harry came to me before the holidays and asked me to teach him how to ward off the dementors in case they showed up at another Quidditch match...I don't know if you noticed, however, that those 'dementors' weren't actually dementors," he said, laughing quietly.

"Oh yes, I saw that it was Draco Malfoy and his goons," Meredith said, smirking. "It was quite amusing...the terrified looks on their faces. I'll bet Malfoy's kicking himself right now...they'll have to face us in the Quidditch final. And with Harry's Firebolt, we're going to be unstoppable."

Lupin nodded again, "Yes indeed, it will be very difficult for the Slytherin team to beat you," he said. He took a look at his watch and gave a small smile. "You should probably be getting back to your dormitory, it's almost past curfew," he said.

Meredith nodded, planting a soft kiss on his lips and walking back to her dormitory. If there was one thing she liked about being with Lupin it was that he wasn't always yearning for sexual contact; they could just be with each other and nothing else seemed to matter.


	16. Chapter 16

"I thought a holiday was supposed to be a time of recreation when there was no work!" Meredith groaned, abandoning all pretense of holding everything together by throwing her Potions book at the wall, where the pages exploded out of it and scattered around the floor.

Hermione stared at her, surprised that she would blatantly abuse a book that way. She didn't know what to say to Meredith, so she just went back to studying.

Meredith sighed loudly, walking over to the book and picking up all of the pages, using her wand to repair it. "Sorry, I didn't mean to explode like that...it's just...well, just wait until you have to deal with N.E.," she said, catching her reflection in a mirror on the wall by the fireplace. "Ugh, I look like I haven't slept in months...I mean I usually look this way after a full moon cycle, but they seem so much more pronounced...some Easter holiday!" She was talking more to herself than to Hermione, who had taken to studying her Ancient Runes book.

The sky was black by the time Meredith stopped her studying marathon and joined the rest of her house in the Great Hall for dinner. "God, Meredith, you look worse than Professor Lupin," Fred observed when she sat down; Meredith flashed a small, knowing smile in Hermione's direction.

"N.E. are killing me," she said curtly, scooping potatoes onto her plate, covering her mouth as she yawned loudly.

"Well, as long as you don't fall asleep in your breakfast again before the Quidditch final," Fred smiled, drinking pumpkin juice.

Meredith smirked, "I can't _wait _to see the look on Flint and Malfoy's face when we beat them," she looked over her shoulder at the Slytherin table, where Malfoy was talking to Crabbe and Goyle. After practically inhaling her dinner, Meredith took off back to the common room to continue studying. She was almost there when she heard a voice behind her call her name; startled, she grabbed her wand out of her robes and pointed it in the direction of the voice.

Lupin stepped out of office completely, smirking in amusement. "Expecting to be attacked in the corridors, are we?" he said, motioning for her to follow him into his office.

She obeyed at once, a girlish smile forming on her face. Once they were in his office, she shoved the door closed with her foot and propped herself up on her usual spot on his desk. "N.E. are going to kill me," she said exhaustedly, arching her back in a catlike stretch, resting her hands behind her on the desk.

Lupin chuckled, walking over to Meredith and wrapping his arms around her. "They're not going to kill you, that's just the stress talking," he said, kissing her cheek. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Meredith smirked, "You could give me the answers to the Defense Against the Dark Arts exam?" she said, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

"You know I couldn't do that," he laughed again, wrapping his arms around her tighter.

"Um, how about a back massage then?" She suggested, smiling.

"I can do that," he said, sitting down in his desk chair and motioning for her to sit down in front of him. Meredith obliged, kneeling in front of him and pushing her hair out of the way; he immediately started work on her shoulders, then moving to the small of her back.

Meredith closed her eyes, letting out a low hum of approval, leaning into his hands. After ten minutes of this she turned around and, still kneeling, planted a soft kiss on his lips. She deepened the kiss, standing up and maneuvering herself so she was sitting in his lap. She broke the kiss, pulling out her wand and casting a silencing charm on the door, as well as locking it. "So we're not disturbed," she said, grinning devilishly.

"Well, then," Lupin said, returning the grin; he pulled her into a kiss, his hands entangled in her hair. In one swift movement he pulled her up into his arms and set her down on his desk, scattering papers all over the floor.

Meredith giggled, tilting her head back as he nibbled at her neck and chest, slipping out of her robes. She began viciously tugging at Lupin's robes, managing to get him out of them. "Is there. Somewhere more comfortable. Than your desk. To do this?" She said in between kisses, sucking on his bottom lip playfully.

Lupin grinned mischievously and nodded. Without saying a word he picked her up and brought her into another room where they could continue their libidinous activities.

* * *

"I don't even know where to begin in describing how amazing that was, Remus," Meredith giggled, curling up next to him and tracing the scars on his chest and shoulders.

Lupin chuckled, his hands wandering around her back and shoulders. He came across a particularly vicious-looking scar; it looked as if someone had taken a big chunk out of her shoulder. "Is this where you were bitten?" He asked curiously.

Meredith turned her head to look at the scar on her shoulder and nodded. "Yeah, I was bitten here, too," she pointed to her left hip where there was a scar identical to the one on her shoulder.

Lupin grimaced, running his hand over the scar on her hip. For a moment he looked as though he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. Eventually he looked up at his clock, "You should probably go back to your dormitory, wouldn't want to be caught out after hours," he said.

Meredith sighed, getting out of bed reluctantly and putting her clothes back on. She gave Lupin one last kiss before heading back to the Gryffindor common room to resume her all-night study session.


	17. Chapter 17

Ever since Meredith had slept with Lupin life seemed to go by faster, things seemed easier to deal with, and before she knew it, it was the day of the Quidditch final against Slytherin. She walked into the Great Hall for breakfast already dressed in her Quidditch robes and her hair tightly braided. She didn't speak to anyone as she sat down and began wolfishly attacking a piece of toast and some eggs.

The silence continued as the team walked down to the Quidditch pitch together; Meredith's concentration was broken when Lupin grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her into one of the many recesses in the corridor. "Ow, what are you doing?" She exclaimed angrily, wrenching her arm out of his grip.

"I don't think you should play, Meredith," he said, looking concerned.

Meredith stared at him indignantly, "And why not?" she said angrily.

Lupin stared back, his eyebrows raised as if the answer was obvious. "Today's the first day of a full moon cycle, I don't think it would be safe if you did," he said.

"Come on, you're being ridiculous, I'll be fine," she rolled her eyes, irritated. Meredith walked out of the recess and raced to join the team. Lupin followed her, trying to persuade her to stop. Once they were out in the open of the grounds, she stopped and rounded on him angrily. "Look, I know what I'm doing, Remus! I'm going to be fine, I've played Quidditch in this condition before...Nothing is going to happen, now stop acting like a lunatic!" She stalked off to the locker room to join the rest of the team.

Meredith was startled at how quiet it was in the locker room; Oliver wasn't making his usual impassioned speech about how important the game was; everyone was getting dressed in determined silence. "All right, team, lets do this. Remember Harry, only catch the Snitch if we're at least fifty points up," Oliver said, breaking the silence. He glanced at Meredith and gave her a small smile. "I need you three to make sure we get ahead quickly, I know Slytherin is going to play dirty." He said, looking at Meredith, Angelina and Katie who nodded curtly. Without another word they walked out onto the pitch together. Meredith smirked, staring smugly at Draco Malfoy, the smallest kid on the Slytherin team, who looked rather fearful staring at Fred and George.

After a very tense handshake between Marcus Flint and Oliver, the team was in the air and the match had begun. Oliver was right; Slytherin was playing a violent game. Within five minutes Gryffindor scored twice, but Meredith had to swerve out of the way of a Bludger numerous times.

Meredith was just about to score the goal that would put them fifty points ahead of the Slytherin team when out of nowhere--_WHAM!_ A Bludger slammed into Meredith's elbow, shattering it. Meredith dropped the Quaffle and clutched her elbow, tears obscuring her vision; everything seemed far away, and the only thing Meredith could focus on was the blinding pain in her arm. Somewhere she heard a whistle blow, and a pair of hands on her shoulders gently; it was Oliver. "Are you all right? Meredith! TIME OUT!" He shouted at Madam Hooch. Before she knew it they were on the ground, and the team was crowding around her. Several people spoke at once, their voices blending together. Meredith focused long enough to hear snippets of the conversation:

"She has to go to the hospital wing, her elbow is shattered!"

"But we don't have a replacement Chaser, we'd have to forfeit!"

"Look at how much pain she's in! There's no way she can play!"

Using all of the strength she could muster, Meredith stood up straight and spoke up. "I'm fine! This elbow, it's nothing," she said through gritted teeth. "Just bind it up for now, we need to finish the game." She let out a ragged breath, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Oliver stared at her for a moment, eyes flitting from her elbow to her face. "Are you sure?" He said hoarsely.

Meredith nodded, letting out a gasp of pain as one of the other team members bound her elbow in bandages using their wand; the pain lessened slightly, and the match resumed.

"Incredible!" Lee Jordan's voice boomed across the field as he was doing the commentary. "After suffering a tremendous injury by a Bludger, Gryffindor Chaser Meredith Douglas got back on her broom and is continuing to play! Right now she's in possession of the Quaffle and she's heading toward the Slytherin goalposts. She's one arming the Quaffle and--OH!" There was another sickening crack, and a Bludger hit her square in the jaw. Jordan swore, "Dear God! She's been hit again! Why isn't anyone doing anything about that Beater!"

Meredith dropped the Quaffle, spiraling down toward the ground, unable to gain control of her broom because of the intense pain in both her elbow and jaw. Thankfully, Harry caught the Snitch and the game was over; Gryffindor had won. Everyone was so focused on Harry that no one noticed Meredith falling to the ground, blood flowing freely from her mouth. Finally Meredith heard someone scream in surprise and the sound of footsteps coming toward her; relieved, she finally allowed herself to give in to the pain and she passed out.

When Meredith regained consciousness she was laying in the Hospital Wing and Oliver was sitting next to her bed. She tried to smile but a sharp pain shot from her jaw to her eye, and she cried out. Oliver looked up, joy flooding through his face. "Meredith, you're awake!" He said, grinning.

Madam Pomfrey came bustling into her vision, and she shooed Oliver away. "Thank Goodness you're awake. Here, I didn't want to treat you while you were unconscious," she pulled the blanket off of her, enough to expose her elbow and Madam Pomfrey pointed her wand at it. A feeling of warmth spread through Meredith and the pain went away. She tested her arm and moved her previously broken elbow; it felt fine. Madam Pomfrey smiled happily, and pointed her wand at Meredith's jaw. The same warmth spread through her face, and the pain was once again gone. "Normally, I would make you stay in the Hospital Wing for the night but, Dumbledore informed me that tonight is a full moon, so..." Madam Pomfrey let the sentence hang.

Meredith nodded, getting up from the hospital bed. "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," she said curtly, walking to Professor Snape's office to take the last of her Wolfsbane potion before heading off into the Forest. She had to exercise a lot of self-control not to look too boastful as she walked into Snape's office. "I, uh, just came to drink the last of the potion...I'm on my way to the Forbidden Forest now," she said, biting her lip.

Snape nodded curtly, pointing to a cauldron in the corner. Meredith sighed uncomfortably and grabbed a goblet and fished the rest of the potion before sneaking out of the castle.

* * *

Three days later Meredith returned to the castle just in time to take her N.E.W.T exams. "They certainly live up to the name," Meredith said to Oliver when they had finished the last of their exams. "They are nasty and exhausting," she said, taking a long drink of her pumpkin juice. Since she had helped Gryffindor win the Quidditch cup they were once again on speaking terms.

Oliver laughed out loud, smiling. "Yeah, I'm just glad its over," he said. He glanced at her and let out a sigh. "Listen, Meredith, I'm really glad you rejoined the Quidditch team...it wasn't the same without you," he said.

Meredith smiled, "Thank you for letting me back on," she put her hand over his and squeezed it gently. "It was a lot of fun...despite the massive injuries," she chuckled. They walked up to the common room together and spent the rest of the night sitting by the fire and recounting their experiences with the N.E.W.T exams. Finally, at three in the morning, Meredith fell into a blissful, dreamless sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Without the stress of N.E. hanging over her, time seemed to fly by at Hogwarts; before Meredith knew it, she was planning her summer holidays and Auror training in July. None of the 7th years were paying attention in class anymore, and the teachers had long since given up trying to make them. When she wasn't in class, Meredith split her time between sneaking into Lupin's office and hanging out with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Even the supplementary classes with Snape seemed to be going well; she had made her first batch of Wolfsbane potion successfully, earning praise from Snape.

"Well," Snape said, looking at Meredith's cauldron thoughtfully. "It seems I have greatly underestimated your skills as a Potion maker. This Wolfsbane potion is quite good for your first run."

Meredith grinned proudly, her face going pink in shy pride. "Thank you, Professor. Although I think a lot of it is because of your teaching skills." She said honestly.

Snape gave her a rare, tight-lipped smile and nodded curtly. He walked over to his desk and grabbed a goblet for her to drink the Wolfsbane potion from. Meredith took it reluctantly, filling it to the brim and drinking it as quickly as she could, retching slightly. "I can bring that goblet to Rem--Professor Lupin if you'd like," Meredith said politely.

"No, Miss Douglas, I'll bring it to Professor Lupin in a bit, I have some things I've got to discuss with him. You may go," Snape said brusquely, waving his hand at her.

"It's no trouble at all, Professor, really. His office is on the way to my dormitory," Meredith pressed, clutching her school bag tightly.

Snape stared at her for a moment, his expression inscrutable. After a moment he nodded curtly. "Very well; be that as it may, I shall accompany you. I have some things to discuss with _Professor_ Lupin." He put emphasis on the word, staring at her pointedly as if he knew about her and Lupin's sneaking around.

Meredith smiled unblushingly, clutching the goblet in her hands. "All right, then, let's go," she said, walking out of the dungeons and up into the more brightly lit corridors. They came upon his office, which was empty; Meredith walked in tentatively, examining every nook and cranny of Lupin's office but he was nowhere to be found. She set the goblet down on his desk, stopping when her attention was drawn to a piece of parchment on his desk. Her curiosity got the best of her and she picked it up; it was the Marauder's Map. She found Lupin's office and was stunned to see two dots standing in his office right where her and Snape were currently standing. "Er--Professor, I found something rather...odd," she walked over to him, her eyes still on the map as she handed it to him.

Snape grabbed the map out of her hands and ran his eyes across it. After a few moments his eyes lit up and he grinned manically. "I knew it," he whispered, seeming to forget that Meredith was there. He looked up from the map, "Come, Miss Douglas, and you'll see the proof of what I've been trying to tell Professor Dumbledore all year," he said smugly, walking out of Lupin's office, a new skip to his step that made Meredith want to laugh; he acted like a kid on Christmas morning.

Meredith followed him obediently, her curiosity peaked once again; what could he possibly have seen on that map to make him react that way? She followed him out of the castle and towards the Whomping Willow which, to Meredith's immense surprise was frozen on the spot. Snape didn't seem to be troubled by this, however, and he ran straight at the tree and disappeared beneath the roots; Meredith followed suit, jumping into the gap between two tree roots. "Professor, what's going on? Why are we underneath the Whomping Willow?" She said.

"Miss Douglas I'm going to have to ask you to be quiet or else I'll be forced to send you back up to the castle," Snape said in a hoarse whisper, holding his finger up to his lips in a gesture for her to be silent.

"All right, fine," Meredith said, gritting her teeth and pulling out her wand. As they started walking up the tunnel, Meredith slipped on a Cloak piled at the base of it. Puzzled, she picked it up and let out an audible gasp of comprehension. "Look at this, Professor," she breathed, holding it out to him.

Snape's sadistic grin broadened as he grabbed the Cloak from her shaking hands. "Potter," he murmured, looking at Meredith and throwing the Cloak over both of them. Together they tip-toed through the tunnel, stopping when they reached what looked to be the bottom floor of a very old house. Without breaking stride they walked tentatively up the stairs which creaked ominously, as if one misstep would cause them to break through; thankfully they didn't and they reached a closed door at the top of the stairs and heard voices behind it.

Meredith recognized the voices of Lupin and Harry, they were discussing something about a rat and some person called Peter. Once again Meredith's curiosity got the better of her and she pushed the door open slowly, owing to the fact that the Shrieking Shack was supposed to be haunted and hoped whoever was on the other side of the door to subscribe to that belief.

Snape stepped ahead of her as if to shield her from whoever they were going to find on the other side of the door. He clamped his hand over her mouth just as she was going to scream at the sight of who was standing around in the room; Ron, Hermione and Harry were grouped together on one side of the room, pointing their wands at Lupin and the man Meredith recognized from the Wanted posters as Sirius Black. They stood together in the corner watching the scene unfold; Lupin was in the middle of explaining a prank that apparently involved himself and Snape. Meredith shifted slightly, her eyes fixated on Harry as he spoke.

"So that's why Snape hates you? Because he thought that you were in on it?"

In an instant the Cloak was thrown off of both of them and Snape pointed his wand directly at Lupin, his face fixed in an expression of self-satisfaction. "That's right," he said. Everyone in the room fell silent, staring in surprise at the sudden appearance of Snape and Meredith. "I suppose I should explain how I knew you were here," he started, circling around Lupin; Meredith stayed where she was, too shocked to even move; her brain was working a mile a minute, trying to process what was going on in front of her. It seemed that Snape was right about everything from the start; the whole year he tried to convince Meredith that Lupin was the one helping Sirius inside the castle; the possibility of that crushed her. How could he be helping a madman that's after Harry? Just thinking of that possibility sickened her.

"I've told the Headmaster all year that it was a mistake to hire you, that you were the one helping Black get into the castle, and now I have my proof," Snape said, glancing at Meredith briefly, whose face had gone from shock to disgust; she was staring at Lupin, shaking her head, too stunned to speak.

Lupin clicked his tongue impatiently, carefully avoiding looking into Meredith's accusing eyes. "Severus, you're wrong. You've got to listen to me...Sirius isn't here to murder Harry, you have to give me the chance to explain..."

Snape sneered at Lupin and pointed his wand at him, and thin ropes shot out and twisted themselves around Lupin's hands and feet, catching him off balance and made him fall down onto the ground. "Two more for Azkaban tonight...the dementors will be happy to have you back, Sirius, so happy they'll...give you a kiss, perhaps?" He raised an eyebrow mockingly.

Meredith looked at Snape, horrified by what he said. She opened her mouth to speak, closed it again, and finally found her voice. "But...Professor...m-maybe you should listen to what he has to say," she said quietly, "it couldn't hurt, could it?"

"I brought you along to bear witness to the revelation that your _sweetheart_ isn't who you thought he is, not so you could give your opinion, so shut up!" Snape glared at Meredith contemptuously, who glared, taking a step back, hoping no one caught the fact he used the word 'sweetheart'.

"But what if you _are_ making a mistake, Professor?" She said, recovering quickly, putting her hand on his arm gently.

"I said SHUT UP, YOU STUPID GIRL!" He looked deranged, pushing her so hard she slammed her head against the wall and grimaced in pain; Lupin struggled against his bonds angrily, his eyes full of concern for Meredith.

Black stepped forward, looking at Snape with intense hatred. "Look, you've got to listen--the rat--you've got to hear me out," he said, glaring at him, though his voice shook with what Meredith interpreted as fear.

There was a deranged glint in Snape's eyes as he grabbed the rope that was tied to Lupin and started dragging him toward the door. "Come, I'll drag the werewolf back up to the school," he said and was about to open the door when Harry stood in front of it, blocking him. Meredith couldn't hear but she could tell heated words were being exchanged; then, before she could blink twice Ron and Hermione both attempted to disarm him, and the force of the double spell threw him into the wall and caused debris to fall everywhere. Meredith was knocked unconscious almost instantly and trapped underneath a pile of debris, her hand the only part of her body visible.

Meredith woke up, straining against the weight of the rubble on top of her. She let out a muffled scream, mustering up her strength and pushing a large piece of wood off of her chest. When she finally got herself out, Lupin and Hermione helped her to stand. "Who is _that_?" She said, staring at a short and very rotund man standing in between Sirius Black and Ron.

Lupin looked at the man and then Meredith, "That's Peter Pettigrew," he said, putting his hand on Meredith's shoulder. "Are you all right? Some of that stuff hit you pretty hard."

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," she said, ruffling her hair to get rid of some stray pieces of wood. "But I thought _he _killed him?" Meredith stared at Sirius Black with a hint of fear in her eyes.

"That's what we all thought, too, but...," he looked at Harry and Hermione, who gave him a look that said _We-Don't-Have-Time-For-This-Right-Now_. "I'll let Hermione explain it to you when we get back to the castle...we have to bring _this_ creature back to Dumbledore," he nudged Pettigrew disdainfully.

Meredith nodded obediently, walking through the tunnel with Harry and Hermione, who explained the basics of what was happening; Sirius was innocent and Pettigrew had, in fact, been the one who betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort and how exactly Sirius escaped Azkaban. After Hermione finished the story they spent the rest of the journey in silence, the only noise was the echo of their footsteps against the tunnel walls.

At last they reached the end of the tunnel; Lupin, Pettigrew and Ron crawled upward first, followed by Sirius maneuvering Snape's body through; Meredith, Hermione and Harry were next and Sirius brought up the rear. The group continued their silence as they walked across the castle grounds, which was now completely shrouded in darkness.

The castle was coming closer, the light from the windows growing brighter. Ron was hobbling along, struggling to walk on his bandaged leg when a cloud shifted and bathed the group in bright moonlight. Ron, Pettigrew and Lupin stopped abruptly. "He hasn't taken the potion tonight...he's not safe!" Hermione exclaimed, looking at Meredith with horror-filled eyes. "Did you take it?" She said hopefully.

Meredith nodded curtly, "I'll keep my head, I won't be a danger. I can keep him busy long enough for you all to make your way up to the castle."

Black froze and held out his arms stopping Hermione, Harry and Meredith in their tracks. "Run, now." He whispered, pushing them backwards. Meredith, however, pushed them all away from them, leaving herself and Lupin alone in the direct light of the moon.

"Blimey," Ron stared at them, thunderstruck. He watched in horror as Lupin and Meredith began to transform before his eyes; their legs and heads elongated as hair began to sprout from their bodies. The werewolf that stood where Lupin once did let out a feral snarl and bounded toward the group; Meredith jumped after it and snuck it's claws into the other ones back and dragging it away from them. By that time Sirius had transformed into a giant black dog and was valiantly trying to help the smaller werewolf, who was having a lot of difficulty holding the other one back; it seemed very determined to get at the others. He sunk his teeth deep into the other werewolf's chest and threw it several feet into the air; it landed on the ground with a sickening thud, getting up slowly. Sirius growled, leaping onto the chest of the larger werewolf, causing it to fall to the ground and tumble down a large hill.

Harry and Ron were so engrossed in watching this strange battle that they neglected to pay attention to their prisoner, Peter Pettigrew; in fact, Ron had momentarily forgotten about him until Hermione screamed loudly; Pettigrew had taken advantage of the distraction and picked up Lupin's wand and pointed it at himself. "NO!" Hermione shouted, but it was too late; Pettigrew had transformed and was running at full tilt towards the Forbidden Forest. Sirius bounded after him as fast as his four legs could carry him, leaving them in the company of Snape, who was still unconscious. "Look!" She added, pointing at a different part of the Forest; the two werewolves were running into it, going in completely opposite directions.


	19. Chapter 19

Meredith returned to the castle the next day, sporting two fresh scars: one that ran from the edge of her right eye down to her jawline, and another that ran from the crook of her left arm down to her wrist. Thankfully most of the students were taking advantage of the last Hogsmeade visit of the year, so the castle was virtually empty as she walked up to the Hospital Wing in the hopes of being able to make the scar on her face a little less conspicuous.

Madam Pomfrey did her best, but much to Meredith's chagrin, she couldn't do much. "Scars made by werewolves are not easy to get rid of," she had said. Meredith then made her way up to Gryffindor tower and took her first shower in several days, then immediately went to Lupin's office. His door was open and it looked as though a lot of his things had been cleared away; Meredith stared at the nearly empty room, puzzled, then it hit her. "You're not seriously leaving?" She said disbelivingly.

Lupin looked up and gave her a small smile, his eyes lingering sadly on the scar on her cheek. "Professor Snape 'accidentally' let it slip to the Slytherin house that I am a werewolf. It's only a matter of time until letters start pouring in, demanding that I be fired...I'm just saving Dumbledore the trouble," he said, stuffing books into a trunk.

Meredith sighed, walking over to his desk and sitting on top of it like she had done for the entire year. With one hand she deftly shut the trunk he had been packing and locked her legs around his waist, pulling him toward her roughly. "I suppose Snape is bitter because Sirius escaped...again," she said, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly. "Poor bloke, must be so disappointing."

Lupin reached his hand up from her shoulder and traced the scar on her face with his fingers. He sighed deeply, kissing it and looking guilty. "I did that, didn't I?" He said sadly.

"Technically I suppose you did," Meredith said, taking his hand away from her face and holding it in her own. "But I'm in no way holding you responsible for it. It wouldn't have happened if I had gotten the Wolfsbane potion to you sooner. Besides, I've gotten worse. It just happens that this one is visible. It really isn't that bad," she said encouragingly, trying to assuage his guilt.

Lupin gave her another small smile and rested his hands on her hips and his head on her shoulder. They sat that way for a long time, until Lupin suddenly pushed himself away from her and busied himself with collecting books from another corner of his office. Meredith was about to inquire as to why he did this when Harry came running into his office. "Hagrid's just told me that you're resigning...is it true?"

Lupin looked over his shoulder at Meredith, who pursed her lips and busied herself with flipping through a book. "I'm afraid that it is true, Harry," he said. "Professor Snape 'accidentally' told everyone that I am a werewolf. It's only a matter of time until letters from concerned parents flood Dumbledore's office; no one wants a werewolf teaching their children. And after the previous nights events, it should be clear why, shouldn't it? I could have easily killed any of you...That should never happen again. I couldn't risk it."

Harry looked at Meredith hopefully, as if he expected her to say something that could change Lupin's mind, but she offered no helpful suggestions; however, she suddenly looked fearful. "Er...Professor?" She said, trying not to smile as she called him by his official title for the first time in a few months, "Snape didn't happen to mention anything about...._Me_ at breakfast, did he?"

"No, Meredith, he didn't say anything about you being a werewolf...just me," Lupin said, tossing a book in an open trunk.

"Hmm, interesting," she said, jumping off of his desk. Meredith walked over to Lupin and held out her hand. "It was a pleasure having you as a teacher, Professor Lupin. And if I may be so bold, I'd like to say that you were the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Hogwarts has seen yet." She grinned broadly, more at the absurdity of the situation than anything. "Perhaps our paths will cross again one day," she said, waving as she walked out of his office.

Ever since Lupin's departure, Meredith's mood sunk a little, and the days seemed to go by that much slower. With exams over and no real point to class anymore, no one seemed to want to pay attention. After a few days of futile attempts to get the 7th years to pay attention, most of the teachers allowed them to lounge about during classes. Meredith entertained herself by listening to peoples' theories about what had happened to Sirius Black and how he escaped; most involved him Appparating or Disapparated off of the grounds which Meredith knew was impossible. _Hell, it would make more sense than what actually happened_. She thought to herself; Hermione had taken the liberty to tell her exactly what had happened after she reappeared from the Forbidden Forest.

Much to Meredith's surprise, neither Ron or Harry had asked her about being a werewolf. She assumed that the fact that she was hiding this secret from them all year would be a soft spot for them. After all, they were friends, right? Finally, on the last day of term, after they had all gotten their exam results (Meredith had passed all of her N.E. with top marks) Ron and Harry asked the question. "Well, Harry, I guess I was afraid of telling you because I had no idea how you'd react. I mean, when Percy found out he _ran _from me. Literally. He ran away from me, and it was painful to watch. I didn't want to have to deal with that again. Besides, I figured if Hermione figured it out, you would probably notice there was a pattern to my, er, monthly disappearances."

* * *

Meredith was sitting with Harry, Ron and Hermione on the Hogwarts Express when Hermione had revealed the fact that she had a Time-Turner to Meredith, who was deeply impressed. "I think I would go insane if I had to do something like that," she said, fishing out a book she had taken from Lupin's office, cracking it open and disappearing behind it until the train pulled in to King's Cross station. Together they walked off of platform nine and three-quarters, Meredith pausing and placing her hand on the pillar after they had emerged on the other side. A small tear rolled down her face which she managed to conceal by pretending to check her shoelace. Even for all the not-so great things that happened to her while at Hogwarts, all she could think about was her seventh and final year, and how she had the best time of her life. Before Harry, Ron and Hermione left with their parents, she gave them each tight hugs, kissing Ron and Harry on the cheek like an older sister would. "I want you all to keep in touch with me, you hear? And Ron, I'll be expecting an invitation to the World Cup too," she added, winking at him as he left with his family. She hugged Hermione again, waving her off. "I'll be fine, my aunt is supposed to be here in a few minutes. She's always late." She smiled, waving at Hermione until she could no longer see her.

Just as Hermione disappeared around the corner, another person appeared at Meredith's side, as if they were lurking behind a pillar, waiting; it was Lupin. He grinned at her, "Waiting for your aunt? While, imagine her surprise when she gets here and discovers that you are nowhere to be found?" He said in a mock concerned tone.

Meredith beamed at him, pushing her trolley forward through the bustling crowd. "I don't think she'll be too surprised, seeing as I wrote to her a few days ago and told her I would find my way to London on my own." She said, grabbing his hand and intertwining her fingers with his as they walked out of Kings Cross station and into the heart of London together.


	20. Author Note

All right, that's the end of my fanfiction! I hope you all enjoyed it, it was so much fun to write. I've always loved the character Remus Lupin ever since he was first introduced in Prisoner of Azkaban.

I'm in the process of writing a sequel, but I'm not sure if I'm going to post it. We'll see.

Anyway I'd love to hear from you guys; suggestions, criticisms, anything like that. Feel free to send me a message


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